The Asian Star September 18 2021

www.theasianstar.com Vol 20 - Issue 32

Saturday, September 18, 2021

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Election 2021 Another minority govt looks likely but it could be very different from the last one Canadians have chosen minority governments in four of the last six federal elections and Monday’s vote seems likely to produce a fifth. Whether it will be a Liberal or Conservative minority is anyone’s guess.

Polls suggest the two parties are locked in a dead heat, neither within reach of winning a majority of seats in the House of Commons -- much as they were in 2019 when Justin Trudeau’s

Liberals won a relatively stable minority.

But that doesn’t mean this election will produce the same result. Here are some things to keep in mind about how minority governments are formed and what another one might look like: Continued on page 7

Chinese PLA generalcollaborated with fired scientist at Canada’s top infectious disease lab A high-ranking officer in the People’s Liberation Army, recently lauded by President Xi Jinping for developing a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, collaborated on Ebola research with one of the scientists who was later fired from Canada’s high-security infectious disease laboratory in Winnipeg.

The joint research conducted

by Major-General Chen Wei and former Canadian government lab scientist Xiangguo Qiu indicates that co-operation between the Chinese military and scientists at the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) went much higher than was previously known. The People’s Liberation Army is the military wing of China’s ruling Communist Party.

BC goes after parents of murdered South Asian gangsters over cash and jewellery They lost two of their gangster sons to fatal shootings. A third is in jail for 14 years after pleading guilty to crimes committed for a criminal organization. And now the B.C. government wants to keep thousands in cash and a diamond ring found by police in the Burnaby house of Gurcharn and Mohanvir Kang. In a lawsuit filed last week, the director of civil forfeiture alleges the ring and more than $22,000 stuffed into shopping bags and

seized by Vancouver Police on Aug. 7, 2018 are the proceeds of crime and so should be handed over to the government. On top of the money and ring found by police at 3845 Fir St. in Burnaby was a .44-calibre semi-automatic pistol with a cartridge in the magazine, ammunition and various bags of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and hash, the director alleged in his statement of claim.

Continued on page 6

Canadian think tank explains how Pakistan’s imprudent support of Taliban is backfiring Experts say that Pakistan is starting to face the effects of the ‘crisis of its own making’ as the Taliban and other outfits began to consolidate their position in Afghanistan after the exit of US and NATO forces from the war-torn country.

According to a Canada-based think tank International Forum for Rights and Security (IFRAS), PM Imran Khan-led country is currently witnessing an uncertain phase due to a

UN gang member shot dead at downtown Vancouver hotel The shooting comes after a lull in a violent year of shootings and murders

A member of the United Police Const.

Tania Nations gang was shot to Visintin confirmed a man death in an underground was killed in the city’s 13th parkade in downtown homicide of 2021. She did Vancouver on Wednesday. not release the victim’s Aman Manj, whose younger name, but several sources brother Jodh was killed by a confirmed it was Manj, hitman in Mexico in 2018, was targeted midwho was born in 1986, according to online afternoon in the parkade of the Fairmont court files. “This brazen shooting happened Pacific Rim Hotel. His shooting comes in broad daylight at a popular tourist hotel after a lull in a violent year of shootings in the city,” Visintin said. Vancouver Police and murders in the Lower Mainland gang on the scene of a shooting in the parking lot conflict. There’s no confirmation whether of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel his death was part of the war. Vancouver Continued on page 8

crisis in the neighbouring country.‘Pakistan is not a saviour but a perpetrator of Afghanistan crisis’ IFRAS claimed that Pakistan is not a saviour but the perpetrator of the grave crisis in Afghanistan.

“It was about the American negation to take Pakistan on board with its strategies about the region. Pakistan was the chief proponent in supporting the idea of US withdrawal from war-torn Afghanistan.

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Saturday, September 18, 2021

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Saturday, September 18, 2021

Pfizer, Moderna Covid-19 vaccines get Health Canada full approval and new names Both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines have been given the full rubber stamp, after receiving full Health Canada approval for anyone aged 12 and older on Thursday. Pfizer and Moderna’s shots were first authorized for use months ago.

That green light, however, was under an interim order that allowed for a speedy rollout of the vaccines to try to slow the spread of COVID-19 — an order that ended on Sept. 16. As that order came to term, the vaccines were transitioned to full approval under the Food and Drug Regulations, in what a co-founder of BioNTech is calling “a testament to the vaccine’s efficacy and safety profile.” “Our companies have shipped more than 1.4 billion doses worldwide,” said Ugur Sahin, the CEO of BioNTech.

Canada’s top doctor says vaccine mandates helping uptake, impact on spread of COVID-19

‘remains to be seen’ With the full approval comes some new names for the vaccines, which Health Canada announced on Twitter Thursday morning.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine will now be known as “Comirnaty,” Health Canada wrote. Moderna’s, meanwhile, has been dubbed “Spikevax” and AstraZeneca’s will be called “Vaxzevria.” “These are only name changes. There are no changes to the vaccines themselves,” Health Canada said. The United States granted Pfizer’s jab full FDA approval on Aug. 23, just weeks before full approval was granted in Canada. Pfizer executives said the full approval couldn’t have come at a better time. “Based on the longer-term follow-up data that we submitted, today’s decision by Health Canada affirms the efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine at a time when it is urgently needed,”

Canada is not worried despite being left out of USA, UK, Australia nuclear sub-maine deal The federal government insists a new intelligence deal between three key allies won’t diminish Canada’s ability to defend its own interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

The White House is billing the so-called AUKUS agreement with the United Kingdom and Australia as a game-changing security partnership.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the agreement will have no impact on the Five Eyes partnership, which comprises the three AUKUS players, plus

Canada and New Zealand.

Trudeau says the deal is primarily about Australia’s efforts to develop and acquire a fleet of nuclear submarines, an ambition Canada doesn’t share.

A spokesman says both Defence Minister Harjiit Sajjan and Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau discussed the agreement Wednesday with their Australian and U.K. counterparts.

Brett Bruen, a consultant and former U.S. diplomat, says Canada may want to keep its distance to avoid aggravating existing tensions with China.

Heavy rain expected this weekend as storm set to hit Metro Vancouver As we head into fall season, the first major storm is about to hit Metro Vancouver and South Coast, BC on Friday.

A special weather statement has been issued by Environment Canada for much of the Lower Mainland, including Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, the Sunshine Coast, and eastern Vancouver Island between Qualicum Beach and Fanny Bay. The storm has already arrived on the North Coast along the Alaskan panhandle, according to Environment Canada emergency preparedness meteorologist Armel Castellan.

Significant rainfall is predicted on Friday and Saturday through Sunday morning in Metro Vancouver and Victoria. Clouds are forecast to move in on Thursday night as a Pacific system settles in over the coast and heavy rain is forecast to begin before morning. Strong winds may accompany the rain on Friday afternoon. About 50 millimetres of rainfall is expected by Friday evening, but Environment Canada believes there is a chance there will be more.

Castellan said some areas could see 10 millimetres of rain in one hour.

Some areas could receive an entire summer’s worth of rain in just one weekend, says meteorologist.

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OPINION

By Ian Madsen, Research associate Frontier Centre for Public Policy

Saturday, September 18, 2021

The economic dangers of a new inflationary era

It’s not entirely clear whether the Canadian and the global economies are heading for a new inflationary era. It may turn out that inflation is not only elevated from recent negligible levels, but escalates, steadily at first, and then dramatically, as it did in the 1960s until the

early 1980s. If it does, the havoc and misery inflation wrought on ordinary people will be mirrored in the financial markets, and the costs could linger for decades, just as they did when inflation dropped after 1981. From a theoretical economics standpoint, there are several notional

elements to the inflation premium portion of prevailing interest rates (i.e., the extra part that’s not directly related to investors’ time and risk preferences without regard to inflation).

One element of this inflation risk premium is simple compensation for the recent, prevailing or expected inflation rate, all of which have been about the same – approximately two per cent per annum, until this year. However, there are other components that, while usually much smaller and with a sort of abstract aspect to them, can grow.

At least two such components are not exactly the same thing but are typically combined. First is the potential for the escalation of inflation and the uncertainty of the variability of inflation. It’s possible that inflation is not just at a new, higher level, but that it could escalate, either slowly or dramatically. Inflation began slowly in the mid1960s but, erratically, year after year, grew larger and larger, and faster and faster in the late 1970s and into the early 1980s.

The second component is the premium investors may come to require for the unpredictability of inflation. Once inflation escalates, consumers, businesses and investors may assume that it will grow and get even higher.

However, unless hyperinflation takes hold, this may not occur; there could be some minor pauses or reversals, especially if the inflation, higher interest rates and central bank actions cause a recession. Then, inflation could subside, at least temporarily, and businesses or investors who made contracts or investments assuming one track of inflation, perhaps committing to payment at a certain price, could lose money.

They would then be extra-cautious, seeking only returns that would compensate them for the added risk created because they hadn’t forecast inflation that would be sufficient to cover their costs. The real estate developer or landlord who doesn’t charge enough for new housing units sold or rented would be one example. Or a lender who offers too high an interest rate to depositors and other fund providers at fixed or sticky rates, while not being able to lend at rates they expected to be able to charge.

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LOCAL

Saturday, September 18, 2021

Trudeau not showing leadership in fighting gun crime: former Liberal Sukhi Sandhu After watching too many young people take up a life of crime and too many people get shot and killed in British Columbia’s lower mainland, Sukhi Sandhu gave up his life as a partisan political activist to become a community activist.

After years of being involved in the federal Liberal Party, he’s now focused on stopping gang activity through a group called Wake Up Surrey. “We need real and decisive leadership,” Sandhu said, noting that he hasn’t seen that over the last six years from the Trudeau Liberals.

The party he was once a part of is spending too much time playing wedge politics with the issue of gun crime rather than solving it.

During a stop in Toronto this week, he said the same issues facing the Greater Toronto Area are playing out in Vancouver and its suburbs, but the government hasn’t put resources where they are needed.

With shootings and gang violence on the rise, Sandhu said we need action rather than

empty political rhetoric. “We need to minimize court delays,” Sandhu said, noting that those delays can see criminals walk on charges.

“We need to provide policing resources in key areas such as our ports and borders. Only 10% of the containers that come into our country are scanned at our ports, and this is a major area for gangs to import drugs and weapons.” Sandhu is also calling for prevention programs that work at keeping kids out of gangs and proper mental health supports. In particular, he said, governments at all levels need to deal with a rise of gangs and violence among South Asian youth. He’s disappointed that the focus of the Liberals throughout this campaign has been to focus on regulating licenced gun owners rather than tackling measures that will deal with the problem. The former Liberal said he’s been more impressed with the Conservative plan which is comprehensive and doesn’t just try to score points through fear and division.

Hells Angel’s killers get life sentences after pleading guilty to reduced charge in killing of South Asian gangster Two Alberta men who shot to death a popular local Hells Angel in a Surrey drivethru two years ago have been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 20 years. Crown spokesman Dan McLaughlin confirmed Monday that Calvin Junior PoweryHooker, 22, and Nathan James De Jong, 23, pleaded guilty in June to second-degree murder, instead of the first-degree count with which they were originally charged.

On Friday, after a joint sentencing submission from their lawyers and a Crown prosecutor, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Michael Brundrett accepted the recommendation on the parole ineligibility period, McLaughlin said. A first-degree conviction would have meant no possibility of parole for 25 years. Both were also sentenced at the New Westminster courthouse to a

mandatory lifetime firearm prohibition.

The two young Albertans were hired as hitmen who travelled to B.C. in August 2019 to kill Suminder (Allie) Grewal — a full-patch member of the Hardside chapter of the Hells Angels and a close associate of the Brothers Keepers gang. They caught up with him on Aug. 2 about 9:20 a.m. at a South Surrey Starbucks, where he was waiting in the drive-thru in his Dodge Viper to place his daily coffee order.

Powery-Hooker and De Jong fled in a vehicle that was intercepted by police who happened to be in the area of 32nd Avenue and 152nd Street near where the shooting occurred. They were arrested as they attempted to escape on foot.

At the time, investigators said they were looking at links to other organized crime groups in B.C. and Alberta. But no one else was ever charged or identified as a suspect in the murder.

706 new Covid-19 cases, 4 deaths in BC British Columbia reported 706 new cases of COVID-19 and four new deaths on Thursday.

The numbers put the seven-day rolling average for new cases at 693, down slightly from Wednesday. Of the new cases, 203 were in the Fraser Health region, 105 were in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 213 were in the Interior Health region, 104 were in the Northern Health region and 81 were in the Island Health region. Active cases in the province climbed to 5,844.

There were 291 people in hospital, 134 of whom were in critical or intensive care.

More than 3.99 million people, accounting for 86.3 per cent of those eligible, have had at least one dose of the vaccine.

Of them, more than 3.65 million people, or 78.8 per cent of those eligible, have been fully immunized.

Since the start of the pandemic, B.C. has reported 177,186 cases, while 1,877 people have died.

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Premier Kenney sort of admits his ‘mistake’ led to Alberta’s health system falling apart Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has apologized—sort of—and called a state of emergency following his team’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to a fourth wave and driven Alberta’s health care system to the brink of collapse.

In July, as infections were plateauing and vaccination rates were increasing, Kenney lifted all public health restrictions, including ending asymptomatic COVID testing and removing mask mandates. He promised Alberta the “best summer ever,” and in June, his righthand man and executive director of issues management, Matt Wolf, boldly tweeted, “The pandemic is ending. Accept it.”

Fast forward to this week, when Alberta made international headlines for having some of the worst COVID rates in North America, made worse by the Delta variant, and the province’s health care system is at risk of collapse: hundreds of elective surgeries

have been cancelled to save resources for COVID management and more people are in ICU beds today than ever before, 90 percent of whom are unvaccinated.

Part of the problem is Alberta has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Canada, with only 60 percent of Albertans fully vaccinated. Experts predict that herd immunity can’t be reached unless more than 80 percent of people are fully vaccinated.

“It is now clear that we were wrong, and for that I apologize,” Kenney told reporters during a news conference on Wednesday.

But later, when pressed, he inexplicably said hedoesnotregretliftingrestrictionswhenhedid.

“In this society, you can’t sustain serious intrusions into people’s lives permanently,” said Kenney. “So, no, I don’t apologize for the decision to relax public health restrictions in the summer.”

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Saturday, September 18, 2021 BC goes after parents of murdered South Asian gangsters From page 1 over cash & jewellery At the time, Vancouver Police was working on a major investigation targeting the Kang brothers and their Red Scorpion associates, dubbed Project Territory. The probe resulted in 11 people connected to the gang pleading guilty to a variety of charges over the last year, including Sam and Gary Kang. The lawsuit notes the violent demise of both Randy Kang, who

was gunned down in Surrey in October 2017, and Gary, who was shot to death at his parents’ south Surrey rental home last January. Police at the scene in Surrey after gangster Gary Kang was shot and killed in his parents’ home in January.

Police at the scene in Surrey after gangster Gary Kang was shot and killed in his parents’ home in January.

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Saturday, September 18, 2021

Federal Elections 2021

Another minority govt looks likely but it could be very different From page 1 Which of the two front-runners ultimately forms government doesn’t necessarily depend on who wins the greatest share of the popular vote or even who wins the most seats. Rather, it depends on which party can command the confidence of the House, notes University of British Columbia political scientist Maxwell Cameron. And that means: which party is able to muster enough support from one or more smaller parties to win crucial confidence votes?

If he were to see little prospect of mustering sufficient opposition support to continue governing, Trudeau would likely resign and allow the Conservatives to form government. But regardless of the outcome, Trudeau has the right to carry on until he is defeated in a confidence vote in the Commons.

Opposition parties would get their first opportunity to topple his government by voting against the throne speech, which opens each new session of Parliament. If the throne speech was defeated, it would be the prerogative of the Governor General to invite Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole to form a new government.

O’Toole would then have to gain support from one or more of the other opposition parties in order to command the confidence of the House. If he could not, another election would be triggered.

In 2019, the Conservatives actually won a slightly larger share of the popular vote but, because so much of it was concentrated in the Prairie provinces, they came up with 36 fewer seats than the Liberals. There was never any suspense about whether the Liberals would continue to govern. They were only 13 seats short of a majority and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, whose party captured 24 seats, had been clear during the campaign that New Democrats would never prop up a Conservative minority. Trudeau was able to govern without reaching any formal deal with opposition parties, relying on support from different parties at different times to survive confidence votes and pass legislation. Singh has not ruled out propping up the Conservatives this time.

Nor has Bloc Quebecois Leader YvesFrancois Blanchet.

Although O’Toole has shifted the Conservatives more toward the centre of the political spectrum, Cameron suspects it would still be harder for him to find a dance partner in the Commons, since both the Bloc and NDP are more ideologically aligned with the Liberals.

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UN gang member shot dead at downtown Vancouver hotel From page 1

She said officers responded to level 3 of the parkade near Cordova and Burrard streets around 3:30 p.m. “after a man was found unresponsive by a witness.” She said the man was pronounced dead by paramedics.

No arrests have yet been made. “VPD homicide investigators believe the shooting was targeted,” Visintin said. Sources said Manj was with a friend when more than a dozen shots were fired at him. After Manj’s brother Jodh, 31, was shot leaving a gym in a commercial complex in a Mexico City suburb, Aman reached out to a Postmedia reporter claiming his younger sibling had nothing to do with the UN gang. “He wasn’t a UN

member. We had friends,” Aman Manj said in a December 2018 email. “His death had nothing to do with anyone from Vancouver.”

But he declined to say why he believed his brother had been targeted. Police sources say both Manj brothers were connected to the UN — a drug gang started in B.C.’s Fraser Valley in the mid-90s by Clay Roueche, who is in jail in the U.S. for drug smuggling and money laundering. Vancouver Police on the scene of a shooting in the parking lot of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver BC., on September 15, 2021. Vancouver Police were on the scene of shooting in the parking lot of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver.

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Manslaughter charge laid in overdose death of BC 14-year-old Carson Crimeni A 20-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter in the death of 14-year-old Carson Crimeni.

Crimeni died on Aug. 7, 2019, of a drug overdose near a Langley, B.C., skate park as others stood by and filmed his final moments.

The 20-year-old, who turned himself in to police after a warrant was issued for his arrest, cannot be named as he was a youth at the time of Crimeni’s death.

He has been released from custody on bail and will appear in court on Oct. 20, Langley RCMP said.

Click to play video: ‘Vigil held at Walnut Grove skate park for Langley teen

who died of suspected drug overdose’ 2:09 Vigil held at Walnut Grove skate park for Langley teen who died of suspected drug overdose Vigil held at Walnut Grove skate park for Langley teen who died of suspected drug overdose – Aug 9, 2019 The video depicts the teen agitated, sweating and in deteriorating condition in the Walnut Grove skate park as a group of older youth mock and laugh at him.

Crimeni wasn’t found until later, alone and barely breathing, in a ditch near the baseball field close to the skate park. He was rushed to hospital, where he died.

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Saturday, September 18, 2021

Trudeau under fire over high inflation as election race tightens The leader of Canada’s main opposition party on Wednesday said a surge in inflation last month highlighted the failure of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s economic policies, and urged Canadians to vote out the government in an election next week.

Erin O’Toole, whose Conservatives are tied in the polls with Trudeau’s center-left Liberals ahead of the vote, said it was clear Canadians were experiencing an affordability crisis.

K-9 unit sniffs out $3.7 million in cannabis

hidden behind pallets of pork products “It’s troubling that Justin Trudeau seems to not care about the sky-rocketing cost of living that is being imposed on Canadians through inflation,” he said in a statement. Statistics Canada said the annual inflation rate in August accelerated to 4.1%, the highest level since March 2003. The Liberals, in power for the past six years, spent heavily on measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, racking up record debt and the highest budget

deficits since World War Two. Trudeau is promising more investments if he wins the election.O’Toole said a Liberal victory on Sept. 20 would mean “more reckless spending, more massive debt and more rising prices,” adding that only his recovery plan would make life more affordable.

The Conservative leader is promising to balance the budget within a decade without making cuts

but has not explained how. Trudeau, who heads a minority government that relies on the support of opposition parties to pass legislation, called the election last month, two years early, to seek voters’ support for his recovery plan. The Liberals, however, have seen their early lead in the polls quickly fade amid voter fatigue and unhappiness with the early election call.A rolling Nanos Research telephone survey of 1,200 Canadians for CTV on Wednesday put public support for the Conservatives at 31.2% with the Liberals at 30.5% and the left-leaning New Democrats at 21.4%.

Inflation hits 18-year high, fuelled by pandemic factors If there’s one thing an incumbent candidate seeking re-election does not need, it is unwelcome news from the economic front. But with less than a week to go before Canadians cast their votes in a tight federal election race pitting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party against the Conservatives headed by Erin O’Toole, the latest readings on Canada’s inflation provided fresh fodder for the opposition to seize upon.Consumer prices in August rose 4.1 percent over the same period last year, Statistics Canada said on Wednesday. That pace of prices increases, which is well above the Bank of Canada’s target rate of 2 percent, was stronger than many analysts were expecting and marked the highest annual inflation rate since March 2003. “The numbers released today make it clear that under Justin Trudeau, Canadians are experiencing an affordability crisis,” O’Toole tweeted.

“It’s troubling that Justin Trudeau seems to not care about the skyrocketing cost of living that is being imposed on Canadians through inflation.” Inflation hits less well-off households the hardest because it eats up a larger share of their income, especially when prices spike for essential goods and services that can’t be purchased at a later date – like food, fuel and shelter.

Inflation last month was largely driven by petrol and home prices. Gasoline prices rose nearly 32.5 percent, while the home replacement cost index, which reflects rising prices for new homes, increased 14.3 percent in August over the past twelve months.

Saturday, September 18, 2021

Home sales cool in August, but average prices still well up from last year Canada’s housing market continued to show signs of a slow cool-down in August, as the number of sales ticked lower even as selling prices still headed higher compared to where they were a year ago.

The Canadian Real Estate Association said Wednesday that 48,379 homes changed hands in August, down 0.5 per cent from July — and down by about 14 per cent compared to the number of sales clocked this time last year.

About half of all markets are seeing more houses change hands, while the other half are seeing fewer.

Shaun Cathcart, chief economist for the group that represents more than 100,000 realtors across the country, said the market seems to be moving into a new phase.

“Canadian housing markets appear to be stabilizing somewhere in between pre- and peak-pandemic levels — which is to say, still extremely unbalanced,” he said in a release.

Canadian mortgage debt grew by $18 billion in April, biggest monthly gain ever, StatsCan says While the market may be slowing down in many parts of the country, so far that’s not translating into

lower prices in the aggregate. The average selling price of a home last month was $663,500. That’s up from the $586,000 average selling price in August 2020, but down from the all-time high of $716,000 set in March 2021, when bubble fears were bubbling over.

Prices are down from March, on average, and so are sales volumes — down by 28 per cent from their March peak.

CREA says the average price number can be misleading because it is easily skewed by sales in big expensive markets like Toronto and Vancouver. Instead, the organization trumpets another number — the house price index — because it adjusts for the types of homes sold.

That figure rose by more than 20 per cent in the year up to August, after also having peaked in March 2021.

Economist Rishi Sondhi with Toronto-Dominion Bank says home sales are falling, but from a level that was unsustainable to begin with. “Markets have so far been tighter than expected in the third quarter,” he said in a note to clients.

“This suggests home prices could continue to rise in the near-term.”

Advance voting turnout up 13% in BC since 2019: Elections Canada Most ridings across British Columbia saw a significant increase in the number of voters turning out at advance polls.

Over four days of advance voting, preliminary numbers show that 804,116 British Columbians cast their ballot, up from 710,107 in 2019 – a 13.3 per cent increase. Nationwide, 5.8 million Canadians cast their ballot, a 18.5 per cent increase from the 2019 election.

Particularly notable increases were seen in North Okanagan–Shuswap where advance turnout was up 42.5 per cent, Kootenay– Columbia where it was up 37.6 per cent,

Cariboo–Prince George where it was up 36.9 per cent, Langley–Aldergrove where it was up 28.2 per cent and North Island–Powell River, where advance poll turnout was up 26.7 per cent.

However, advance turnout was lower in some ridings including Surrey-Newton where it dropped 21.2 per cent and South Okanagan– West Kootenay where it fell by 50.4 per cent.

Canadians are now past the time where they can request mail-in ballots but there is still time to send them in or drop it off at the Elections Canada office in your riding. All other Canadians head to the polls on Sept. 20.

Peace River South only health area in BC with fully vaccinated rate less than 50 per cent Peace River South in the north of BC is the only local health area in the province with a fully vaccinated rate of less than 50 percent, reveals latest Center for Disease Control Statistics. This ad has not been loaded yet, but your article continues below.

This area includes the towns of Dawson Creek, Chetwynd and Tumbler Ridge (total population about 20,000) and rural areas and falls within Northern Health — the smallest health authority in the province responsible for 287,000 people. The area had a vaccination rate of 49 percent per.

September 14. Figures also show that Northern Health’s best vaccination rate – Kitimat at 80 percent – is still the lowest of all the best performing areas in BC’s four other health regions. Peace River North-

centered around Fort St. John with a growing population of 21,000-has a fully vaccinated rate of 50 percent, while Fort Nelson in the far north has a double dose of 51 percent.

Dr. Jong Kim, chief of Northern Health’s chief physician, said the hospitals at Fort St. John, Chetwynd and Dawson Creek were under pressure as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations increased in the region.

This ad has not been loaded yet, but your article continues below. “Right now in northern BC we are seeing an increasing number of cases and an increasing number of hospitalizations,” he said, adding that this could lead to cancellations of non-urgent operations.

There are 849 active cases of the disease in Northern Health and 62 new cases reported

LOCAL / NATIONAL

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Star & Style

Saturday, September 18, 2021

Mallika Sherawat on not being cast in Welcome 2 “Director cast his Girlfriend” Mallika Sherawat, who costarred with Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar in the 2007 film Welcome, spoke about not being cast in the sequel to the film in an interview with Pinkvilla.

The 44-year-old actress stated that she wasn’t considered for the sequel, 2015’s Welcome Back, because the director had “cast his girlfriend in the film.” However, she didn’t drop the name of the director’s girlfriend. Welcome and its sequel were directed by Anees Bazmee. The 2015 film featured a few from the old cast - Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar and Paresh Rawal - along with some new additions such as John Abraham, Shruti Haasan, Shiney Ahuja, Ankita Shrivastava, Dimple Kapadia and Naseeruddin Shah.

When asked about the possibility of another

film in the Welcome franchise, Mallika Sherawat said: “Welcome ka sequel banega toh director apni girlfriend ko hi dalega na usmein. Welcome 2 bana toh usmein apni girlfriend ko daal diya batao, ab main kya karun (If a sequel of Welcome will be made, then the director will only cast his girlfriend.

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Deepika Padukone reveals Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Lover’ is her current favourite Superstar Deepika Padukone on Thursday (September 16) hosted a question and session for fans where she disclosed that singer Diljit Dosanjh’s latest hit ‘Lover’ is her current favourite song, to which here`s what the singer replied. During the question and answer session on her Instagram handle, Deepika asked her fans to drop a word and she will tell them what it reminds her of.

Fans poured a number of words, like eyes, ice cream, favourite movie and more.

One of the many words asked was ‘music’.

While many fans would guess her favourite songs from the English or Bollywood playlist, a few could guess that it was Punjabi superstar

Diljit Dosanjh’s romantic ballad ‘Lover’ from the latest hit album ‘Moonchild Era’.

“My absolute favourite song at this point which came to my mind is Lover by Diljit Dosanjh,” the dimple queen revealed in her Instagram story. Diljit who himself had revealed in earlier interviews that the ‘Padmaavat’ actor is one of his favourite female actors, was quick to notice this IG story.

He reposted the video on his Instagram handle and wrote, “Thank @ deepikapadukone Ji. Mainu Hun Hor V Sona Lagan Lagg Peya #lover Song (Now I find Lover song more beautiful).”

“I was not aware what Raj Kundra was up to” Shilpa Shetty Mumbai Police filed almost 1500page charge sheet against Shilpa Shetty’s husband, businessman Raj Kundra in the porn apps case which shook the nation. Raj Kundra was arrested in July. Raj Kundra and Ryan Thorpe, his business associate, have been booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code related to sexual harassment and cheating among others, as well as under provisions of the Information

Technology Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, according to media reports.

A copy of Shilpa Shetty’s statement was accessed by a leading daily wherein she says that she had no idea what her husband, Raj Kundra, was up to. “Kundra started Viaan Industries Limited in 2015 and I was one of the directors till 2020 when I resigned due to personal reasons. I am not aware of the Hotshots or Bollyfame apps. I was too busy with my own work and hence, not aware about what Kundra was up to,” she said.

Star & Style

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LOCAL / NATIONAL RCMP identify victim in Merritt murder investigation

Body of Dennis Michael Walters, 51, was found near Nicola Lake on Tuesday morning, police say. Major crimes investigators in southern B.C. have identified a murder victim whose body was found near Merritt on Tuesday.

In a statement, Mounties say they discovered the body of 51-year-old Dennis Michael Walters near Nicola Lake just before 8 a.m. on Sept. 14.

The death of the Merritt man was initially termed suspicious, and police confirmed on Thursday that they are now investigating the case as a murder. They are asking the public to assist the investigation. “We are releasing Dennis’s identity in order to help move the investigation forward,” said Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet. “We are hopeful that in doing so, we can help timeline the events leading up to his death.”

Saturday, September 18, 2021

Liberal MP Raj Saini will get $93,000, but no pension after standing down due to scandal Raj Saini stands to walk away with $93,000 “golden goodbye” after standing down as a Liberal candidate.

The former MP for Kitchener Centre , stepped down after facing allegations that he harassed a female staff member, allegations that he firmly denies.

Saini is entitled to a $92,900 severance

cheque, worth half his $185,800 MP’s salary.

House of Commons agrees to probe workplace review involving embattled former Liberal candidate Raj Saini He could also access a $15,000 allowance for departing MPs, which includes the cost of shredding papers, getting financial advice and trips to and from Ottawa.

Vancouver man who killed his father over Ferrari purchase sentenced to eight years jail

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A Vancouver man who killed his elderly father following a dispute over the son’s purchase of a Ferrari has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

In April, Alexander Shevalev, who was 19 when he killed 80-yearold Vladimir Shevalev on March 1, 2015, and is now 26, pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter.

He had initially been found guilty of seconddegree murder by a B.C. Supreme Court jury in June 2018, but had the conviction overturned in August 2019 and a new trial ordered.

Rather than proceed to trial, he entered the guilty plea before Justice James Williams.

In imposing sentence Wednesday, Williams accepted a joint submission on sentencing from the Crown and defence.

“The circumstances that bring this matter to court are tragic,” said the judge. “The deceased, an elderly man, had his remaining life snuffed out.”

The judge said there was no reason to believe the son was acting in self-defence or being threatened at the time of the offence, which he called an act of “striking irresponsibility and arrogance indicative of a considerable deficit of character.”

But the judge added that he accepted

that since the crime, the son had turned his life around and is now a “considerably different and better person” and his remorse is genuine.

Court heard that Shevalev, who was born in Russia but came to Canada with his family in 1998 before becoming a Canadian citizen in 2001, had lived a privileged life, attending private schools and enjoying extensive travel.

But his parents had an acrimonious divorce which raised tensions in the household, and he started using cocaine, in part to relieve stress from the parental arguments.

He quickly became addicted, dropped out of high school and began stealing money from his father’s bank accounts to fuel his drug use.

Alexander Shevalev during a break in his manslaughter sentencing hearing.

Alexander Shevalev during a break in his manslaughter sentencing hearing.

Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG Shevalev was kicked out of his father’s condo in the Shaw Towers in downtown Vancouver in January 2015 after the father discovered he had stolen money from him, and in late February 2015, the son took about $100,000 from his dad’s account that he used to buy the Ferrari.

ELECTION 2021

Saturday, September 18, 2021 More than 150,000 Canadians have ‘long COVID’ symptoms More research is needed to understand the so-called “long COVID” condition and the burden it poses on the health-care system, a science advisory group said in a report Tuesday.

The Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, a group that provides guidance to the province on the pandemic, said the post-COVID-19 s y m p t o m s affect about 10 per cent of those infected and can last from weeks to months.

“There is under-recognition both for the public but also among clinicians of this condition because it is hard to define and quantify and because we don’t

have a lot of information around it,” said Fahad Razak, the lead author of the report.

Our award-winning journalists bring you the news that impacts you, Canada, and the world. Don’t miss out.

A conservative estimate suggests about 150,000 Canadians who contract the novel coronavirus experience long COVID-19 .symptoms, Razak said. In Ontario, between 57,000 and 78,000 people are affected.

The most common of more than 200 different symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, general pain or discomfort, anxiety and depression.

Razak said individuals experiencing such symptoms have difficulty performing daily activities and require increased health-care resources.

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COVID-19 vaccines in Canada now have different names No more Team Moderna or Pfizer; the names of COVID-19 vaccines in Canada have been changed and the new ones are pretty strange.

On September 16, Health Canada announced that it has approved changes to the brand names of the Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines. Now, Pfizer is Comirnaty, Moderna is Spikevax and AstraZeneca is Vaxzevria. Pfizer has said that Comirnaty is a combination of

the terms COVID-19, mRNA, community and immunity to commemorate the first authorization of an mRNA vaccine and the global effort that took place to make it happen.

Health Canada also said that these are only changes to the brand names of the vaccines and there are no changes to the vaccines themselves.

As of now, there are no changes to the name of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Canada left out as USA, UK & Australia strike deal to counter China The United States, the United Kingdom and Australia are signing a new defense pact to contain China’s military might in the Indo-Pacific. The treaty, dubbed AUKUS after the three-nation initials, does not include Canada, raising the possibility that Ottawa may miss out on intelligence sharing among some of its closest allies. The deal would allow countries to share more military technologies and information than they currently do, some of which pertain to artificial intelligence, quantum computing and cyber capabilities. AUKUS’s first project would be to build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines for Australia.

“We have always believed in a world that supports freedom, that respects human

dignity, the rule of law, the independence of sovereign states and the peaceful fellowship of nations,” said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who The deal was unveiled in a video-link press conference with President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday afternoon. The three countries already share foreign intelligence through the Five Eyes partnership, along with Canada and New Zealand. It was not immediately clear whether the new alliance would serve purely as a vehicle for Australia to engage in additional defense projects with other countries, or if the agreement would end some of the Five Eyes’ work. The US has repeatedly warned that it will stop sharing intelligence with countries that are not tough enough on China.

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Upstairs has 3 generously sized bedrooms that include a Master ensuite with mountain views, walk in closet. Fenced yard, double garage and extra parking space. Excellent location on a quiet street, easily walkable to shopping, recreation, parks, schools and quick HWY access. Down the street Sunnyside Elementary, New Grandview Heights Secondary school catchment.

A TRUE STUNNER! Rarely offered, this spectacularly landscaped home offers tons of privacy & tranquility. Located in the coveted subdivision of Chimney Hills, this 3 bed / 2.5 bath home is located on a HUGE 13,982 sq. foot lot. Highlights include NEWLY painted exterior, HARDWOOD floor & carpet on main, lots of NATURAL LIGHT, traditional layout with sunken living & family room, renovated kitchen with granite countertops & a nook overlooking the backyard, ONE YEAR OLD FURNACE & A/C plus Hotwater On Demand. Upstairs offers 3 bedrooms including a large master with a WI closet & ensuite fitted with a soaker tub. The beauty of this home is ac

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Truly delightful huge basement entry app. 7200 sqft. home sits on rectangular 9965 sqft. lot. House features 11 bedrooms & 10 washrooms build by good reputation builders. Main floor has 5 bedrooms & 4 bath with huge family room,living room,kitchen,& spice kitchen.Ground level basement has 27'x15' media room with bar & washroom for upstairs use.House has 3 spacious ground level basement suites (3 bed.+3 bed & bachelor suite).Total rent of the suites is $3500/month.Very nice tenants.Easy access to Pattulo bridge, Port Mann bridge & shopping center.Motivated sellers.Easy to show.

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Truly delightful fully renovated 6 bedroom basement entry home sits on rectangular 7920 sf flat lot in most demanding area Aldergrove Langley.Main floor features 3 bed ,2 bath with new kitchen /island ,new flooring,new tiles , new woodwork,new fixtures,splash back,granite counters,new tiles,new cabinet, new windows,new zebra drapes,4 new washrooms & much more .Newly built 3 bedroom unauthorized basement suite with rear separate entry.Excellent renovated covered 333 sf Patio & deck.Landscape front & fully fenced back yard. Storage shed.Walking distance to both schools,shopping,community center with pools,water Park,ice arena,playing fields& to all major routes.

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Absolutely gorgeous family-home with TWO mortgage helper suites and plenty of room on the main floor with 4 large bedrooms, master bedroom with a walk-in closet and ensuite bathroom, multiple living areas with 2 fireplaces, and a spacious kitchen. Kitchen lets out to a large covered sun-deck to enjoy a cup of coffee in the summer or host a BBQ. Large backyard with a brand new fully-surrounded fence with plenty of room for children or pets. Entire property is beautifully landscaped with a large decorative palm tree and multiple fruit trees including fig, apple, pear and cherry trees.

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Solid family home on almost 10,000 square foot rectangular lot in Cloverdale with loads of potential. Large open lot offers plenty of space for a pool, playground & trampoline; or use the extra space to build your dream home. Great central location close to shopping, transit & schools. Same owners since 1987. Three bedrooms up, one down in partially finished basement (just needs a closet). Walkout basement with its own entrance offers potential for two bedroom suite. Large covered patio off the living area overlooks the private, sunny backyard. Transform it into a modern, functional family home

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This well-maintained family home w/3-beds up, suite-potential down and a detached workshop/garage has everything you and your family needs, all located centrally. It's a 5 -10min drive to Guildford Town Centre & Hwy 1; only a 3min drive to Gateway Skytrain Station. The 2level home has a brand-new furnace, dishwasher & washing machine +plenty of other extras including a mobile accessible alarm system and a cozy living room gas fireplace for winter nights. The back deck located off the dining room is perfect for summer barbecues! In addition to the carport and the driveway that fits up to 4-5 vehicles, the 10,200sf lot (60x170) has a massive 1100sf detached workshop that will hold 3 cars, an RV or boat, and meet all of your storage needs.

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Saturday, September 18, 2021

Election 2021

Saturday, September 18, 2021

Surrey families pay a price for Trudeau’s empty words- NDP Leaders Benchmark home price has doubled under his watch As more and more people see that better is possible with Jagmeet Singh as Prime Minister, NDP candidates in Surrey are pointing out there is a real cost to families for all of Justin Trudeau’s empty promises.

“For six years, we’ve heard Justin Trudeau say the right things but never do them,” said Sonia Andhi, NDP candidate for Surrey Centre. “As a result, Surrey families are paying the price – withskyrocketing home prices that have doubled under his watch.”

Instead of keeping his promise to tackle the housing c r i s i s , Tr u d e a u h e lp e d speculators get richer and made the crisis w o r s e .

In just six years, the benchmark price of a home in Surrey and White Rock has risen from $539,050 in October 2015 to $1,077,325 today. Surrey candidates say an NDP government will crack down on big-money house flippers who are making big profits while everyday families pay the price. “ T h i s comes down to who is going to fight for people and make it easier to find a home you and your family can afford,” said Andhi.

“I want to join Jagmeet Singh in Ottawa to fight for a better future for everyone – not just those at the top.”

Avneet Johal, NDP candidate for Surrey Newton, says Justin Trudeau’s housing crisis is exemplified by a Liberal candidate in Vancouver who has made millions by flipping dozens of homes, and refused to admit if his actions contributed to driving up housing prices for everyday families.

“It’s hard for people in Surrey to believe that Justin Trudeau

will do anything about his housing crisis candidate’s predatory housing speculation,” said Johal. “People in Surrey have when he can’t even denounce his own faced six years of empty promises, and

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Saturday, September 18, 2021 Alberta in state of public health emergency Alberta is now in a state of public health emergency, Premier Jason Kenney announced on Wednesday, imposing strict and sweeping measures (see details below) to combat the province’s fourth wave of COVID-19 and stave off the ongoing crisis in the health-care system. The measures include a proof-of-vaccination program.

As of Thursday afternoon, Alberta had 18,706 active cases.

Dr. Verna Yiu, president and CEO of Alberta Health Services, provided an update on the province’s health-care system on Thursday.

The fourth wave has resulted in the sharpest increase of ICU patients since the the pandemic began in early 2020, Yiu said.

“We do not have an endless number of staff who can provide critical care,” Yiu said Thursday.

AHS is working to find ways to increase capacity. Healthcare workers have been asked to identify any spaces that can be used as an ICU bed, Yiu said. This includes spaces such as operating rooms, post-anesthesia care units, observation spaces and recovery wards. Ontario and Alberta are in discussions about a potential transfer of patients if needed, Yiu said. Without surge beds, provincial ICU capacity would be at 155 per cent.

Negative COVID-19 tests from Alberta Health are not applicable as part of the “vaccination exemption program,” Dr. Deena Hinshaw said

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INDIA

Saturday, September 18, 2021

PM Modi inaugurates Defence Office Complexes Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at critics of Central Vista project on Thursday during inauguration of the Defence Offices Complexes in Delhi.

The Prime Minister said that the people who are against the Central Vista Project conveniently ignore the fact that the defence complexes project is also a part of it. “These people ignore this fact so that they can continue spreading falsehood regarding the project,” he said.

About defence complexes he said that these new complexes will now make it feasible for the armed forces to operate in better working conditions with all modern amenities.

The prime minister said, “Today the world is witnessing the magnanimous Central Vista that has been established on the pedestals of modern technology and facilities to enhance the quality of work for the Army officials working 24X7.”

He also said that when the country is focusing on Ease of Living and Ease of Doing

Raj Kundra ‘main facilitator’ in porn case, earned millions, says 1,500-page supplementary chargesheet The crime branch submitted 1,500-page supplementary chargesheet in connection with the pornography case against businessman and actor Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra and others before a court in Mumbai.

The latest report suggested that Kundra was the “main facilitator” in the pornographic case.

Raj Kundra were arrested on July 19.

A report in NDTV said that the Mumbai Police in a supplementary chargesheet filed in court claimed that Raj Kundra along with other accused allegedly exploited young women struggling in the movie industry by filming them in obscene ways.

The evidence against Kundra reportedly

came to light after technical analysis, witnesses statements and documents seized from his office.

AS per the report, the police said, “Kundra and Thorpe in conspiracy with the accused arrested earlier, allegedly took advantage of financially weak young women who were struggling in the film industry, and made obscene movies with them.”

They reportedly added that the pornographic videos were then uploaded on various websites as well as mobile applications. Further, the reports stated that the videos were sold through subscriptions and Raj Kundra “illegally” earned millions from them according to chargesheet

Three in 5 Indian adults received first Covid-19 dose & 20% got both doses Three in five Indian adults have been covered with at least one Covid vaccine dose and 20 per cent have received both the doses.

New government data show Chandigarh entering the coveted league of states and UTs to have protected their adult population with the first Covid dose.

Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan today said 62 per cent people aged 18 and above had received the Covid shots, and 20 per cent have received both the doses as the pace of vaccination increases. As of today 57.86 crore first doses of

Covid 19 vaccine have been administered while 18.70 crore people have received both doses.

“Chandigarh is the new addition to the states and UTs where all adults have received at least one dose,” Bhushan said.

Commenting on the scale of inoculation the government said that in the first 11 days of September over 11 crore doses have been administered which is double of the doses given through the entire month of May. The government also said of the 3,651 Pressure Swing Absorption Plants for medical oxygen generation which have been sanctioned,

Two children find crores of rupees credited to their bank accounts People of Bihar are surprised over crores of rupees being credited in the bank accounts of two children.

The incident appeared in Katihar district where two Class 6 students, Ashish Kumar and Gurucharan Biswas received Rs 6.2 crore and Rs 900 crore, respectively, in their bank accounts on September 15.

Both the children are native of Pastia village in Bagahura Panchayat. They have bank accounts in Uttar Bihar Gramin Bank.

Udayan Mishra, the district magistrate of Katihar also confirmed that the

children have received hefty amount.

“Big amounts were credited in the accounts of two children. The amount can be seen in the mini statements. The senior officials of the bank are being informed,” Mishra said.

“As soon as we learnt about the money being credited in the accounts of two children, we have put the accounts on freeze and stopped withdrawal. When inquired with the parents of the children, they were also unable to reveal the source of the fund. Now, we are investigating the matter to find out who is the sender,” said M.K. Madhukar, the LDM of Uttar Bihar Gramin Bank.

Priti Patel, Rishi Sunak retain top jobs as UK cabinet shuffles British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday undertook a reshuffle of his top team, keeping two of his senior Indian-origin Cabinet ministers Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel in their posts.

Sunak will remain next door to Johnson at Downing Street as his Chancellor of the Exchequer and Patel, who had been at the centre of some speculation of being moved, remains in her post as Home Secretary.

Sunak, the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, has been in his post since February last year and has led the UK’s financial response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Patel, whose parents are of Gujarati-

Ugandan descent, has been the Home Secretary since July 2019.

However, among the senior ministers being shuffled around include Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who accepted a demotion to take charge as the new Justice Secretary, alongside his other roles of Lord Chancellor and Deputy Prime Minister.

Raab, who came under fire in recent weeks over his handling of the aftermath of the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban and the evacuation efforts from Kabul, had been at the centre of speculation about his future as the head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) – one of the topmost Cabinet posts in the British government.

Man refuses to return wrongfully deposited money in his account, claiming the money was sent by Prime Minister Modi A man in Bihar’s Khagaria district received Rs 5.5 lakh in his account by a bank error, but refused to return the amount, claiming the money “was sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi”. The Gramin Bank in Khagaria had mistakenly sent the money to Ranjit Das, a native of Bakhtiyarpur village under Mansi police station, and despite several notices, Das refused to return the amount, saying he had spent it.

“I was very happy when I received the money in March this year. I thought as

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised every one of depositing Rs 15 lakh in their

bank account,I thought that it could be the first installment of it. I have spent all the money. Now, I did not have money in my bank account,” Das, who has been arrested, said in a statement to police.

Mansi Station House Officer Deepak Kumar said: “We have arrested Ranjit Das on the complaint given by the manager of the bank. Further investigation is on.”

Government guarantee of Rs 30,600 crore to NARCL for acquiring stressed assets: FM Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced a Rs 30,600 crore government guarantee for the National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL) for acquiring stressed loan assets, paving the way for operationalisation of the bad bank.

The decision to provide sovereign guarantee for security receipts (SRs) issued by NARCL was taken at a meeting of the Union

Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

The finance minister in Budget 2021-22 announced setting up of a bad bank as part of resolution of bad loans worth about Rs 2 lakh crore.

The bad bank or NARCL will pay up to 15 per cent of the agreed value for the loans in cash and the remaining 85 per cent would be government-guaranteed security receipts.

The government guarantee would be invoked if there is loss against the threshold value.

Complete overhaul in BJP Gujarat cabinet Marking an unprecedented move, the ruling BJP on Thursday completely overhauled the Gujarat council of ministers, selecting all new faces for the Bhupendra Patel government.

Significantly, none of 24 ministers sworn-in today had served in the erstwhile Vijay Rupani government.

The central leadership adopted a “no repeat” formula to beat the antiincumbency and other issues facing the party in the crucial 2022 elections

in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, perhaps also serving a message to leaders in other party-ruled States The new ministers include 10 in the Cabinet’ rank and 14 Ministers of State.

Together with CM Bhupendra Patel, there are now 22 (21 ministers) first timers in the council. Prominent among those dropped is Patidar heavyweight and former deputy CM Nitin Patel and Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, the education

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Saturday, September 18, 2021

Punjab US lawmakers remember Balbir Singh Sodhi, first victim of hate crime post-9/11 attacks Top American lawmakers paid rich tributes as they remembered Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh American, who was the first victim of hate crime following the 9/11 terror attacks in which nearly 3,000 people from over 90 countries were killed.

Four days after 9/11, Balbir was killed outside the Arizona gas station

he owned. He was the first person in the US to be killed in a supposed act of retaliation for the attacks in 2001.

“Today marks 20 Years Since Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh man, was killed in a hate crime in retribution for the 9/11 attacks. We honor his memory and the memories of all those lost to hate in the two decades since,”

Punjab on high alert after 4 terror suspects arrested Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has ordered high alert in the state following the arrest of four more members of an ISIbacked terrorist module involved in a bid to blow up an oil tanker with an IED tiffin bomb last month, making it the fourth case of a Pakistani terror module being busted in the state in the past 40 days.

Two Pakistan-based terrorists, including a Pakistani intelligence officer, have also been identified and nominated in the case in which one person was

arrested earlier, DGP Dinkar Gupta said on Wednesday.

DGP Dinkar Gupta says Pakistan-based International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) chief Lakhbir Singh Rode and Pakistani intelligence officer Qasim are allegedly behind the terror module The four suspects arrested on Tuesday have been identified as Rubal Singh, Vicky Bhutti, Malkeet Singh and Gurpreet Singh. Their fifth accomplice Gurmukh Brar was held in August The DGP says Qasim and Rode

Tension in Anandpur Sahib over ‘violation’ of sanctity Tension prevailed in the town on the third day today after a Ludhiana resident was nabbed while smoking inside Takht Kesgarh Sahib on Monday. Following this, some Nihangs thrashed a migrant labourer who had gone to the gurdwara for langar yesterday.

The Nihangs also roughed up policemen, who came to rescue of the victim. Following this, the police took out a flag march in the town.

According to information, a migrant labourer after having langar was entering the gurdwara when some Nihangs recovered a tobacco packet from his pocket and thrashed him.

The police deployed in the area rushed to the rescue of the labourer.

A few of them, including the Deputy Superintendent of Police, also suffered minor injuries during the incident.

Pakistan “There is a chance for peace after 40 years Afghan war” - PM Imran Khan During an interview with CNN,Prime Minister Imran Khan advocate incentivising Taliban’s govt in Kabul with view to ending the current crisis in Afghanista and warned against trying to control from outside and insisted the country was on a historic crossroad.

With CNN’s Connect the World, Premier Imran spoke at length on the latest Afghan situation, PakUS relations, terrorism and other issues. “Afghanistan is on a historic crossroad: one if it goes well and we pray this works in the direction of peace in that country after 40 years.

Pakistan’s role in enabling Taliban is victory for hardliners: US Senator The role of Pakistan in enabling the Taliban is a victory for the hardliners in the country’s government, a top American lawmaker has said, asserting that the unfolding developments in Afghanistan and the role being played by Islamabad in Kabul are not sending a good message to India. Republican Senator Marco Rubio, during a Congressional hearing on Afghanistan on Thursday, said multiple US administrations were guilty of

ignoring Pakistan’s role in helping the Taliban to regroup, as other US senators expressed concern over the “double dealing” of Islamabad.

“India … I know that there was an announcement today there’ll be a meeting of the Quad fairly soon, which is a good development, except that the Indo-Pacific region, if you are India, you’re looking at this and saying, ‘If the United States allowed Pakistan to unravel their standing,” he said.

Afghan female soccer player evade Taliban, arrived Pakistan Thirty-two women football players from Afghanistan, who were facing threats from the Taliban, have reached Pakistan along with their families after the government issued emergency humanitarian visas to evacuate them, according to a media report on Wednesday.

The footballers belonging to the national junior girls’ team had been originally due to travel to Qatar, where Afghan refugees have been housed at a facility for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but were left stranded after a bomb blast at the Kabul

airport that killed 13 US service members and at least 170 Afghans on August 26. These women were facing threats from the Taliban due to their involvement in the sport, a newspaper reported.

These women football players had since been in hiding to evade the Taliban, according to the report. The move to bring the 32 footballers to Pakistan was initiated by British-based NGO Football for Peace in cooperation with the government and the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), which is not recognised by FIFA. — PTI

Sikh religious body’s president steps down one year before his term Pakistan’s Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee President Sardar Satwant Singh resigned from his post citing “personal engagements”, a year before his term was to end.

The Sikh religious organisation, in a hurriedly-called meeting, elected Sardar Ameer Singh as its new Pardhan (Chief) for the remaining term until mid-2022.

“Pardhan Sardar Satwant Singh has resigned from his position because of his personal engagements. Following this, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) held a meeting in Lahore which elected Sardar Ameer Singh its new Pardhan unanimously for the remaining one-year term,”.

FIJI 131 new Covid-19 cases confirmed The ministry also confirmed one death on Wednesday - a 63 year-old man from Navua.

He was presented to the Navua Hospital in severe respiratory distress on 12 September and died on the same day.

“He received the first dose of the vaccine in mid-August,” Health SecretaryJamesFongsaidinastatement.

There are 110 Covid patients hospitalised: 35 are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital, five at the FEMAT field hospital, and 70 at the Colonial War

Memorial, St Giles and Makoi hospitals in Suva.

Eight patients are considered to be in severe condition, and three critical.

Meanwhile, health teams have been carrying out contact-tracing exercises in the district of Nacula, Yasawa, 21 new cases have been found.

The team carried out swab tests on villagers.

Nacula District official Lavenia Naivalu said each village would be visited by the team for swab tests.

Fiji will open up for travel by the end of this year Fiji is ready to welcome tourists again by the end of 2021.

The island nation had originally intended to reopen its borders to tourists in December, but that date could be moved up as the country’s vaccination program continues.

Brent Hill, the CEO of Tourism Fiji, the country’s national tourism body, told CNN any reopening date is still a moving target.

Hill said travelers permitted to enter the country will need to be fully vaccinated, show evidence of a negative Covid-19 PCR test and be

Statistics CEO’s contract terminated after dispute with AG The Ministry of Economy, through the Acting Permanent Secretary, has terminated the contract of the chief executive officer of the Fiji Bureau of Statistics (“Bureau”), Kemueli Naiqama, for failure to comply with Section 5 of the Statistics Act 1961.

According to a statement by the Fijian Government, in an unfortunate blow to the Bureau’s credibility, Mr Naiqama endorsed the publication of unverifiable information in the Housing Income and Expenditure Survey 2019-2020 relating to ethnicity and religion ––

Poverty estimates released by the Bureau of Statistics is reliable University of the South Pacific economist, Doctor Neelesh Gounder says the poverty estimates released by the Fiji Bureau of Statisics in the 2019/2020 Household Income and Expenditure Survey is credible and can be relied upon.

Doctor Gounder says based on the work he has done previously using survey data, the methodology and sampling that has been used by the Bureau should provide a good representation of the population of Fijian families.

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INDIA PM Modi, Mamata Banerjee, Adar Poonawalla among Time magazine’s 100 top list Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla have been named among the 100 most influential people of 2021 by Time magazine. Time on Wednesday unveiled its annual list of ‘The 100 Most Influential People

of 2021’, a global list of leaders that includes US President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Duke and Duchess of Sussex Prince Harry and Meghan, and former US President Donald Trump.

Co-founder of the Taliban Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is also on the list.

Remote village teacher turns walls into blackboards to close school gap In a small tribal village on the eastern tip of India, an enterprising teacher has turned walls into blackboards and roads into classrooms, trying to close the gap in learning brought on by prolonged school shutdowns in the country.

Deep Narayan Nayak, 34, a teacher in the tribal village of Joba Attpara in Paschim Bardhaman district of the eastern state of West Bengal, has painted blackboards on the walls of houses and taught children on the streets for the past year. The local school shut down after strict COVID-19 restrictions were imposed across the country in March 2020.

On a recent morning, children wrote on one such wall with chalk and peered into a microscope as Nayak watched over them.

“The education of our children stopped ever since the lockdown was imposed. The children used to just loiter around. The teacher came and started teaching them,” Kiran Turi, whose child learns with Nayak, told Reuters.

Nayak teaches everything from popular nursery rhymes to the importance of masks and hand-washing to about 60 students

and is popularly known as the “Teacher of the Street” to the grateful villagers.

Schools across the country have gradually begun reopening starting last month. Some epidemiologists and social scientists are calling for them to open fully prevent further loss of learning in children.

An August survey of nearly 1,400 schoolchildren done by a scholars’ group roadscholarz.net found that in rural areas, only 8% were studying online regularly, 37% were not studying at all, and about half were unable to read more than a few words. Most parents wanted schools to reopen as soon as possible, it said.

Nayak said he was worried that his students, most of whom are first-generation learners and whose parents are daily wageearners, would away from the education system if they didn’t continue with school.

“I would see children loitering about the village, taking cattle for grazing, and I wanted to make sure their learning doesn’t stop,” he said.

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