The Asian Star November 28 2015 NEW by The Asian Star Newspaper

www.theasianstar.com Vol 14

Issue 44 Saturday, November 28, 2015

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Magna forms seating joint venture in China

“I believe in quality than quantity”- Ravinder Grewal

Page

First Liberal broken promise

Trudeau delays Syrian refugee resettlement plan

rime Minister Justin Trudeau is abandoning his promise to bring 25,000 refugees to Canada this year, instead pushing back the resettlement effort to 2016. But his enthusiasm for bringing Syrians displaced by conflict to Canada has not abated, he said in Ottawa in an interview. Trudeau said he delayed the government-sponsored resettlement program because it was more important to “get it

right” than to fulfil his campaign pledge. “We looked at the logistics, we looked at what it would take to bring them in by Jan. 1, and we had options around that,” he said. “We realized that we wanted to make sure it was done absolutely right to ensure that Canadians who have been incredibly open and enthusiastic about it remain as positive about welcoming these families as they possibly could be.” Continued on page 6

Canada’s refugee plan ‘madness’ France’s National Front leader says

arine Le Pen, the controversial leader of France’s farright National Front, is scoffing at Canada’s plan to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees with open arms, calling it “madness.”

“There. I’ve said it. Madness,” she said In an interview with the fifth estate. “There are other ways to do it,” she went on, adding that the “danger is real — false passports. Continued on page 8

Rashida Samji seeks stay of Ponzi scheme fraud charges

former Vancouver notary accused of running a $110-million Ponzi scheme claims criminal charges against her would amount to double jeopardy because she has already been disciplined by B.C.’s securities regulator. According to one of her lawyers, Rashida Samji (pictured) will apply for a stay of proceedings at a provincial court hearing in February. She claims the case would violate her constitutional right not to be tried twice for the same offence. “The position that we’re taking is that Ms. Samji has already been tried and punished,” said lawyer Mila Shah. Fined $33 million Samji was fined $33 million

by the BC Securities Commission (BCSC) last January for defrauding more than 200 victims in a decadelong Ponzi scheme. She was also permanently banned from B.C.’s capital markets. Meanwhile, the Crown charged her with 28 counts of fraud and theft in 2013 in relation to 14 of her investors. Section 11(h) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right of any person “if finally found guilty and punished for (an) offence, not to be tried or punished for it again.” Shah said Samji will also argue that the criminal prosecution is an abuse of process in violation of Section 7 of the charter. Though rare, double jeopardy arguments have arisen before the courts

Continued on page 7

Alberta MLA Manmeet Bhullar gets state memorial service on Sunday

fter several days of emotional tributes to the popular Calgary MLA, Manmeet Bhullar will receive a state memorial service in Calgary on Sunday. Bhullar, 35, was killed last Monday afternoon after he got out of his car in an attempt to aid another motorist on a snowy highway. RCMP said a vehicle skidded off the Queen Elizabeth II Highway north of Red Deer and rolled onto the median. Bhullar was one of two motorists who tried to help. A semitruck on the same stretch of highway lost control, hitting one of the parked vehicles and careening into the median. Bhullar was struck as he was walked between his vehicle and the rollover. He was rushed to hospital, but later died. No one else was hurt in the incident. The Progressive Conservative MLA for Calgary-Greenway will be memorialized Sunday at the Jubilee Auditorium. A viewing

begins at 9 a.m. and the service, which is open to the public, starts at noon. Conservative MLAs gather around a flag and flowers set on Manmeet Bhullar’s desk at the Alberta Legislature. The 35-year-old, who had represented Calgary-Greenway, once served as infrastructure minister under former premier Jim Prentice and was human services minister and Service Alberta minister in the Alison Redford government. Bhullar was a “warrior for fairness and justice,” who put others ahead of himself in politics and in his personal life, all the way up to his final moments when he helped someone in distress, friends and family recalled Monday. “The light in our lives went dark today,” Bhullar’s family said in a statement. “Manmeet Singh left us while he was doing what he loved more than anything — helping someone else… Continued on page 6

Another South Asian man killed in Surrey shooting

South Asian was killed after Police are asking anyone with two men were shot in Surinformation about the shooting to rey on Saturday of last week. The contact the IHIT tip line at 1-877dead man was Surinderpal Singh 551-IHIT (4448) or email invesHehar, 45, a member of the Surrey tigators at ihittipline@rcmp-grc. Field Hockey Club. The other man gc.ca This was the 51st shooting survived after both were shot inside in the Surrey and North Delta area a car in the 15000 block of 66th AvSurinderpal Singh since the beginning of March. PoHehar, 45 enue just after midnight. Sgt. Stephalice believe many are linked to a nie Ashton, of the Integrated Homidial-a-dope turf war. The Surrey cide Investigation Team, said “investigators Field Hockey Club’s Facebook page conbelieve this to be a targeted shooting however tains well over a hundred comments from at this point there is no indication this shoot- mourners. Some described Hehar as “a great ing has any connection to any other investi- guy on and off the field,” a “great human begation within the Surrey area.” They have yet ing” and a “great individual always smiling.” to make an arrest. Continued on page 2

2 i Saturday, November 28, 2015

merging police tactics to disrupt gangs that have helped fight violent crime in the Lower Mainland will be applied province-wide. Justice Minister Suzanne Anton said mandatory provincial standards are being developed that will require all police forces and partner agencies to work together under an anti-gang policing model that targets prolific high-risk offenders. It’s been evolving for about three years but top Mounties say the goal is to ensure the same methods of intelligence sharing and

New anti-gang tactics go B.C.-wide anti-gang enforcement are used across the province, so a Lower Mainland gang meets the same resistance when it tries to stretch its tentacles out to northeastern B.C. or the Okanagan. “My goal is to attack them where they are in the northeast part of the province, in the centre of the province and in the Lower Mainland simultaneously,” RCMP E Division Asst. Comm. Wayne Rideout explained. The predictive intelligence-driven model helps officers make arrests and seize weap-

Another South Asian man killed in Surrey shooting From page 1

Meanwhile, police are also investigating a ceived calls from within the residence reportshooting at another house in Newton, in the ing that shots were fired toward two people 14200-block of 62A Avenue, that happened who were in the garage,” Hayes added. “The late Monday night. “The home was occupied two intended victims are known to police but no one was injured in the home,” Surrey and it is believed that this was a targeted attack. At this point, the victims are not being RCMP Sgt. Paul Hayes said. Witnesses saw a masked South Asian man cooperative with police.” That was shooting number4:23 52. PM Page 1 TEL20150805_Q3_Asian running from the scene. Star_JrPg:Layout “Police also re-1 15-11-02

ons. But he said the new model can also shape police strategy in dealing with specific criminals by helping officers determine which ones may be ready to exit gang life as well as those who are junior members now but destined to become leaders. “We want to disrupt their current trajectory and we want to disrupt them years before they achieve power and influence,” Rideout said, describing it as a long-term “campaign approach” to tackling gangs. Chief Supt. Kevin Hackett of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit said the model proved its value earlier this year when Surrey, Delta and Abbotsford police worked together to counter street-level gangs that were on a public shooting spree in Surrey and Delta. “These collaborative efforts resulted in over 5,000 people being checked, 700 people being arrested or detained, along with the seizure of 22 firearms and 134 vehicles,” Hackett said. Charges were laid against several suspects, including one who police allege handed a loaded gun to a youth to hide

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for him. Just one incident has been linked to those warring Surrey-Delta crime groups since mid-June, Hackett said, after more than 30 public shooting incidents in the spring. NDP public safety critic Mike Farnworth questioned why an enforced standard from the province is necessary to get police agencies to fully cooperate. “Most people would reasonably expect it would already be taking place,” he said. Anton denied there is any lack of cooperation between police forces that has prompted the mandatory standard, insisting B.C. forces have better coordination than any other jurisdiction.

Shots fired into Newton home

Shots rang out in Newton earlier this week, as bullets were fired into a home on Monday night. On Nov. 23 at 11 p.m., Surrey RCMP received calls from people who say they heard gunshots in the area of 14200 Street and 62A Avenue. Witnesses then saw a suspect, described as a South Asian TELUS STORES male wearing a mask,running Abbotsford from the area. Highstreet Shopping Centre Police also received calls from Sevenoaks Shopping Centre 2140 Sumas Way within a residence reporting that 32915 South Fraser Way shots were fired towards two peoAldergrove ple who were in the garage. 26310 Fraser Hwy. The two intended victims are Burnaby Brentwood Town Centre known to police and it is believed Crystal Mall that this was a targeted attack. At Lougheed Town Centre this point, the victims are not beMetropolis at Metrotown ing cooperative with police. 3855 Henning Dr. 4501 North Rd. Anyone with more informaCoquitlam tion is asked to contact the Surrey Coquitlam Centre RCMP at 604-599-0502 or Crime Westwood Mall Stoppers, if they wish to remain 1071 Austin Ave. Delta anonymous, at 1-800-222-TIPS or Scottsdale Centre www.solvecrime.ca 1517 56th St. 4841 Delta St. Langley Willowbrook Mall 8700 200th St. 19638 Fraser Hwy. 20159 88th Ave. 20202 66th Ave. Maple Ridge Haney Place Mall 22661 Lougheed Hwy. Mission Mission Smartcentre 32670 Lougheed Hwy. New Westminster Royal City Centre North Vancouver Capilano Mall Lynn Valley Centre 1295 Marine Dr. 1801 Lonsdale Ave. Pitt Meadows 19800 Lougheed Hwy. Port Coquitlam 2020 Oxford Connector Richmond Lansdowne Centre Richmond Centre 11686 Steveston Hwy. Surrey

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Police officer fined for lying about car crash An Abbotsford man who is an RCMP officer in Surrey has been fined $2,500 for lying to ICBC about how he crashed his pickup truck in Cloverdale two years ago. James Steven Baker was convicted last month of providing false or misleading information related to the crash that took place Dec. 10, 2013. His sentencing was last Friday (Nov. 20) in Abbotsford provincial court. According to the written judgment when he was convicted, Baker was driving his black Dodge Ram pickup on 64 Avenue at about 5:35 a.m. when the incident occurred. Baker claimed he was struck by another vehicle before he fishtailed into a ditch, but the Crown argued that the crash involved only Baker’s truck and resulted from him driving too fast for the winter road conditions. A City of Surrey salt truck driver testified that no other vehicle was involved. The driver stated that Baker’s truck had passed him on a median on the left and lost control when he tried to merge back into the right lane. Further evidence showed that there was no damage to the left side of Baker’s vehicle and the damage that did exist wasn’t consistent with being struck by a car cutting across its path from the left side, as the accused had suggested.

LOCAL

B.C. Gov’t sued by refugee after he was put in solitary confinement for beating up a staff

teenage refugee from South Sudan is suing the British Columbia government alleging the Children’s Ministry is responsible for him enduring solitary confinement for four months. The youth, known in court documents as K.C., filed a civil claim in B.C. Supreme Court this week alleging his rights were infringed during imprisonment at the Burnaby Youth Detention Centre. His lawyer Chris Terepocki said K.C. asked him to speak to media in order to shine a spotlight on his ordeal, with the aim of preventing other youth from going through the same treatment. “He said, ‘No man, I want people to know and I want them to know right away that this has happened to me,”’ Terepocki said in an interview Wednesday. “It’s very important to him.” Terepocki said K.C.’s “unacceptable” punishment was meted out after the young man assaulted a staff worker. The court documents say the ministry moved him to a separate confinement unit for the maximum allowable period of 72 hours after an altercation with a correctional officer. When the time expired, staff cleared out an entire unit, took away all extraneous furniture and placed K.C. back inside by himself, say the documents. Correctional staff were advised that “no one was to have one-on-one contact” with the young man. The documents say K.C. was served meals by a staff member

Special prosecutor appointed to help investigate triple deletion of emails Previous prosecutor stepped down over conflict-of-interest concerns. The Criminal Justice Branch of B.C. has appointed Vancouver lawyer Mark Jetté as special prosecutor to assist the RCMP investigation into the triple deletion of government emails. Last week, another lawyer was appointed as the special prosecutor, but withdrew hours later because of concerns over a possible conflict. In a statement, the Criminal Justice Branch describes Jetté, the new special prosecutor, who was appointed on Tuesday, as an experienced lawyer in private practice in Vancouver. The Mounties are investigating after B.C.’s Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham raised concerns about freedom of information irregularities within the provincial government. In its statement, the Criminal Justice Branch says the investigation is about a request for access to records that was made to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and about the alleged conduct of an individual who was employed as a ministerial assistant at the time of the request.

who would only enter and place the meal tray on a table when he had been remotely locked inside his cell. Separate confinement

Saturday, November 28, 2015 i 3

400 Syrian refugees arriving this year in B.C.

Another 1500 due to come next year ut of the 10,000 Syrian refugees dred of those people will be government-asnow expected to arrive in Can- sisted refugees, who will be settled in Metro ada before the end of 2015, only Vancouver. The Lower Mainland is the only 400 will be coming to B.C., according to the location in B.C. currently designated in the Immigrant Services Society of B.C. Two hun- list of 36 cities across Canada

4 i Saturday, November 28, 2015

EDITORIAL

Should Canadians start electing judges?

By Umendra Singh By Umendra Singh

bundance of guns! Lack of parental controls and a lucrative and easy market to sell drugs are not the only reasons for the frequent gun fights in public places that take place in Metro Vancouver, especially Surrey. The justice system, including the judges who oversee court cases, are just as much to blame – if not the most to be blamed for the rise in violent crimes. We have long written that judges in BC and Canada, from the municipal court to the very Supreme Court of Canada, appear to consider themselves above the law and a kind of judicial dictators – to do as they please. ^Two cases late this week provide ample proof that judges are just as much to be blamed as anyone for the rise in criminal behavior. First, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that federal law regarding human smuggling was “over broad” and needed to be struck down. The case involved those human smugglers who brought 76 Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka to Canada in a derelict ship, Sun Sea in 2009. The Supreme Court, in its wisdom, decided that steering a ship that was smuggling humans should not be considered an act of human smuggling or criminality. In two related decisions on Friday involving provisions of

the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously found the legislation flawed. Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, who wrote the decisions, said the law should not criminalize “a father offering a blanket to a shivering child, or friends sharing food aboard a migrant vessel.” With the support of the six other justices on the appeals, she added the four apparent organizers apprehended in Oct. 2009 on the tramp steamer Ocean Lady off Vancouver Island should be retried. The court did not strike down the sections of the law dealing with human smuggling, but imposed a narrower definition. In the second case involving the Sun Sea, another rotting hulk that followed the Ocean Lady, a similar handful of migrants was found inadmissible by the Immigration and Refugee Board on the grounds they were involved in human smuggling. But they claimed they had become leaders among nearly 500 mostly Tamils aboard the Sun Sea because they were left to their own devices after smugglers abandoned ship. The high bench said they were not organizers in it for the money and did not fall under the legislation. The court said they deserved a new hearing on a basis of a proper interpretation of the law. The four who face new trials were among 76 Tamils from Sri Lanka fleeing persecution and all asked for refugee status though none had documentation.

They were said to be responsible for the trip passengers paid or promised to pay $30,000 to $40,000. They are said to have organizing the asylum seekers in Indonesia and Thailand and were serving as the chief crew of the ship on the voyage to Canada. And in Surrey, a judge found it reasonable to release on $7.500 bail a gangster who was found with a loaded AK 47 assault rifle in his car and who had given two teens another loaded gun to hide after he got into a single vehicle accident. Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner says she was “astonished and outraged” that Saleh Ali Mohammed has been released on bail. Mohammed, who faces 15 charges, was released Wednesday on $7,500 bail by Surrey provincial court Judge Andrea Brownstone. Prosecutors opposed his release. Police have also linked Mohammed to the violent gang war that has resulted in dozens of shootings this year. Hepner praised the efforts of Surrey Mounties who have made a number of arrests related to the gang war in recent months. “Our police have such a difficult job making sure all the I’s are dotted and all the T’s are crossed,” Hepner said. “Now we might as well have both hands tied behind our back.” Exactly. And perhaps it is also time for BC residents to elect judges – so that judges would be more concerned about the residents who pay taxes rather than criminals who fire weapons in public places.

Saturday, November 28, 2015 i 5

Local

6 i Saturday, November 28, 2015

Alberta MLA Manmeet Bhullar gets state From page 1 memorial service on Sunday “He demanded excellence of himself and those around him. We are all better because of him.” Bhullar was driving one of two northbound vehicles that stopped on the shoulder of the QE II Highway Monday afternoon to help those who were inside another vehicle that had lost control and rolled into the median. A semi-truck, also heading north, appears to have lost control, striking one parked vehicle before heading toward the median, hitting Bhullar, who was standing outside his vehicle. He was rushed to hospital where he died of his injuries. Adrian Shellard for the Calgary Herald Late MLA Manmeet Bhullar and thenPC Leadership candidate Jim Prentice talk to members of Calgary’s Punjabi community on Aug. 31, 2014. Flags on provincial buildings were immediately lowered to half-mast until sunset on the day of Bhullar’s funeral. Premier Rachel Notley said Bhullar “worked tirelessly” on behalf of Albertans, having served as MLA since 2008 and as

minister of three portfolios: Infrastructure, Human Services and Service Alberta. “All Albertans should be proud of his significant contributions to public life,” Notley said in a statement. “We have lost our colleague, Calgary-Greenway has lost a friend and effective voice in the legislature, and most of all, we have all lost a passionate advocate for Alberta.” At 28, Bhullar was a second-year law student with a sociology degree when he was first elected to the Alberta legislature in 2008. Even at that age, he was no stranger to the political scene, having served as advisor to Jim Prentice, then a federal cabinet minister, on issues affecting Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Jonathan Denis, a former PC colleague who met Bhullar about 15 years ago, said he remembered how proud Bhullar’s family was when he ran for office. “They were so much behind him. Bhullar’s berth into electoral politics came with a tinge of controversy after he

was named the Progressive Conservative candidate in the northeast riding of Calgary-Montrose, instead of pastor Ron Leech, the riding association’s preferred nominee. After the election, Leech attempted to have the results overturned, accusing Bhullar and his supporters of breaking the rules to influence the voting process, but his claim was tossed out. “Not all of politics is enjoyable,” Bhullar said after his electoral victory, promising to make politics more appealing to young people who are turned off from mud-slinging. “I’m ready to work hard.” Although Bhullar was fresh to the legislature, then-premier Ed Stelmach put him to work as parliamentary assistant in Advanced Education. When Alison Redford was sworn in as

Trudeau delays Syrian refugee resettlement plan From page 1 Trudeau said welcoming refugees is a positive thing for the country. “This is not just about welcoming 25,000 Syrian refugees, this is about welcoming 25,000 new Canadians,” he said. He talked about giving the Syrian newcomers pathways to success in Canada, saying it isn’t about simply bringing them to the country but helping them integrate with society. “This is not about government signing a paper and bringing over refugees, this is a whole of Canada effort,” he said. ‘Not about security’ Despite Trudeau repeating his pledge to bring more refugees to Canada throughout the federal election campaign, some polls show a majority of Canadians do not agree with his refugee resettlement plan. Though he said he doesn’t put a lot of stock in polls, the prime minister said Canadians want to see their government as a “positive actor” on the world stage. “This is not about security. The security is an issue we’ve dealt with,” he said. “This is about welcoming people who are flee-

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premier three years later, Bhullar was vaulted into the front benches in a small, 20-member cabinet, running the Service Alberta portfolio. “He was a shining star in our caucus,” said Moe Amery, a longtime Progressive Conservative who has known Bhullar and his family for a generation. “It’s a very, very sad day in the life and history of this province. I always called him a good kid. My heart is broken.” Bhullar was known to have a wry sense of humour. He could crack a good joke and knew how to take one in return. Thomas Lukaszuk, a former PC colleague, said Bhullar was a big man, whose statuesque appearance and long beard masked his young age. But he was also a vegetarian, something Lukaszuk would tease him about.

ing terrorism, not bringing terrorism with them.” The Liberals have put in place a security screening program that begins overseas. Trudeau said this will allow Candians to be more reassured that refugees are not a threat. “We want these families arriving to be welcomed, not feared,” said Trudeau. Paris attacks not a factor The ISIS-affiliated gunmen who killed 130 people in the French capital on Nov. 13, Trudeau insisted, did not influence his decision to delay the resettlement process. He did say that the “law of large numbers” dictates that there will be some newcomers that will be “problematic,” but not to the point that Canada would send them back into a war zone. He said the Paris attacks did affect the public psyche. Trudeau also acknowledged that in the U.S., among the public and state governors, there is a strong opposition to bringing in Syrian refugees. “I was aware that there might be concerns when I sat down with President [Barack] Obama last week. On the contrary, he was effusive in his support of what we’re doing,” said Trudeau.

LOCAL From page 1

Saturday, November 28, 2015 i 7

Rashida Samji seeks stay of Ponzi scheme fraud charges

previous white collar crime cases in Canada. In 2009, Norbourg Asset Management founder Vincent Lacroix tried to have criminal charges against him stayed in relation to a $100-million fraud. He argued that his conviction on securities violations concerned the same offence. The Quebec judge rejected his application finding that the provinceâ€™s securities legislation doesnâ€™t carry the same weight as the criminal code. Vincent Lacroix later pleaded guilty to 200 fraud charges and received a 13-year prison sentence. According to documents put before the BCSC, Samjiâ€™s investors believed their funds would remain in trust in Canada, used as collateral to provide â€œletters of comfortâ€? for a winery that was expanding into South America and South Africa. The commission said she was known as the â€œmagic ladyâ€? because of how quickly investors saw profits. As part of the BCSC decision, Samji was also ordered to pay the commission $10.8 million, the difference between funds deposited by investors and money paid out.

The BCSC said Samji has not paid anything towards the sanctions against her. She has declared bankruptcy, though the commission said her trustee in bankruptcy has recovered more than $1.8 million from property frozen by the BCSC. The Coast Capital customers have reached settlements with a number of banks, including the credit union. Other investors settled a B.C. Supreme Court class action lawsuit. Just this week, the trustee received an order to disperse $1 million recovered from winners in the Ponzi scheme. About 90 of Samjiâ€™s investors came to her through a financial planner at the credit union Coast Capital Savings, Arvindbhai Bakorbhai Patel. He was charged with 32 counts of Securities Act violations in connection with the scheme last year. In 2012, Patel reached a settlement agreement with the BCSC, receiving a permanent market ban and signing away his interest in five properties.

Evergreen Line wonâ€™t take passengers until 2017 The Evergreen Skytrain Line will not open to the public until 2017, B.C.â€™s Transportation Ministry announced today. Previously the ministry promised the Evergreen line would be completed by the fall of 2016. But today the ministry confirmed delays with the tunnelling have pushed the opening back until early 2017. Officials announced Friday the tunnel boring is now done and the $1.4-billion project is 75 per cent complete. Completion of tunnel interior work and systems installation will run through the summer of 2016, ac-

cording to the ministry. Train testing begins in fall of 2016, but the line is not expected to be fully operational until early the next year. Earlier this year the ministry confirmed the tunnel boring machine was stuck in the same location under Clarke Road and Seaview Drive for several months because crews couldnâ€™t stop water and sand getting into the machineâ€™s cutter head. In a September statement the ministry said the maintenance was completed and work restarting. The 10.9-kilometre Evergreen line will eventually link Burnaby, Port Moody and Coquitlam to Vancouver

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LOCAL

A fund raiser titled “Proud of Our Cultures” was organized by Solicitor General Suzanne Anton, in Vancouver on November 20. Anton (left) is pictured above with BC Premier Christy Clark (second from left) at the event. Photo by Chandra Bodalia

The second fundraiser in support of the Ronald McDonald Family Room was held in surrey on November 22. Photo by Chandra Bodalia

Judge assesses Surrey bus crash victim’s damages at nearly $1 million

Surrey man who was injured while riding a Greyhound bus eight years ago has been awarded nearly a million dollars by a B.C. Supreme Court judge. Ujagar Singh Dhaliwal, 61, had been working at a lumber mill in Mackenzie and was returning to Surrey to see his wife and children on Dec. 22, 2007 when the crash happened. The court heard there had been fresh snow on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Hope when driver Jaskaran Singh Dhillon lost control of the bus and it crashed into a concrete barrier. Dhaliwal, a passenger who was seated at the time, ended up getting stuck in between two seats, on his knees, on the floor of the bus. Justice Arne Silverman assessed Dhaliwal’s damages at $960,573. His decision was rendered on Tuesday, Nov. 24 in Vancouver.

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man charged with possession of an AK-47 assault rifle and who allegedly handed off another loaded weapon to a youth has been released on bail. On Nov. 12, Surrey RCMP arrested Saleh Mohammed, 22, after reports of a domestic disturbance in Guildford came in at about 6 a.m. By the time police arrived, the couple had left. A short time later, Mounties received a call about a single-vehicle accident at 148 Street and 80B Avenue. The driver was taken into police custody and the female, who knew the driver, was released to her family. During a search of the vehicle, police found a loaded AK-47 assault rifle, a restricted handgun, and a large amount of a substance, believed to be cocaine and heroin. Police subsequently learned that two youth who heard the crash and went to offer assistance were allegedly given a fully loaded firearm and asked to hide it. The two youth took the gun home and gave it to their father, who called police.

PERSON OF THE WEEK

Saturday, November 28, 2015 i 9

“I believe in quality than quantity”- Ravinder Grewal Chhavi Disawar

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”

usic- The word that fills us with the vibration of love itself. Scientists have proven that even the moments of our heart beat mimics the moment of music we listen

to. More to this, music is used as a therapy to cure many diseases these days. All in all, it not only pleases our senses but also has an overall positive impact on our health. If we go back to the South Asian roots, the art of singing has been placed foremost. Whether it was Dravidian era where Carnatic music was loved by all or Mughal period in which Tansen’s voice

was so admired that he has become a crucial part of history. The love for music in the blood of South Asians is very evidence of its importance in our culture.

At present there are numerous forms of music and with the advancement in time, the scholars of music have gotten their own styles into the market. However there are still some artists who apart from bringing new styles, have also conserved the traditional forms of music. In the list of those comes the name of Ravinder Grewal. Ravinder Grewal is a Punjabi singer who has won many hearts with his talent and attitude. With a dream to take his traditional style of singing to a greater platform and his love for Punjabi language Ravinder kept moving forward and reached a level where Punjabis all around the globe feel proud of him today. Ravinder’s radiant smile and cheerful personality is admired by audience that includes children, youngsters, homemakers and even aged people. Ravinder started his career in 2010 and gave many hit songs back to back. His style reflects the simplicity and flavor of Punjabi culture. His album “Haye Mera Dil” became the biggest hit of its time. For Ravinder art is just not restricted to music, so he started with acting as well. Summer of 2012 marked his debut into Punjabi cinema and his movie Raula Pai Gaya became a great success. Lately Ravinder visited Surrey for the promotion of his upcoming movie Judge Singh LLB, and Asian Star got a chance to interview the artist as well. Ravinder was seen in his character get up at various sites in the town. “ T h i s movie has a simple plot which will be easily related by the audience. The protagonist is a naïve boy who doesn’t know about the bitter realities of the competition in the field. The whole movie is about one case that changes the attitude and

viewpoint of the protagonist”, told Grewal in an interview with The Asian Star. Talking further Ravinder said that the character of Judge Singh is very close to his life because he has been brought up in the village culture too and he can relate to the mindset of the character. Praising about his co-actors Ravinder specially mentioned the commendable work done by the renowned BN Sharma and Sardar Sohi. The movie has emotions, comedy, expressions and simplicity of a middle class Punjabi Family. “The acting came naturally for the character, hard-work was undoubtedly important but the team could justify their roles”, said Grewal. With increasing social media hits on

trailer, Ravinder’s expectations for the movie are quite high. “Our trailer is loved by the audience. However, as a team-member I can say that the movie is 100 times better than the clip”, smiled Grewal. Ravinder Grewal is a hard-working, humble and a passionate personality who has ruled many hearts with his abilities. As far as his quantity of work compared to others is not much. “I believe in the quality of product delivered in the market than quantity”, smiled Grewal. Ravinder Grewal’s movie Judge Singh LLB is releasing on Dec 4’2015. The Asian Star wishes them good luck for the same.

Local

10 i Saturday, November 28, 2015

RED FM raises over $820,000 in 16 hours for SMH Kidney Centre

South Asian radio station CKYE 93.1 RED FM in partnership with Surrey Memorial Foundation raised over $820,000 in just 16 hours through an annual fundraiser radiothon. Funds raised will be donated to Surrey Memorial Hospital’s Kidney Centre, which will be named Dukh Bhanjan. The funds will help expand the dialysis unit. RED FM’s president Kulwinder Sanghera thanked the community for their outstanding support. “In the past nine years that we have been organizing radiothon, every year we receive exceptionally good response from the community. ““Whether it is for a local cause or for an international tragedy, South Asian community never stops helping,” Sanghera

he Sikh community across Metro Vancouver has come together to help the roughly 3,000 refugees expected to arrive in the region before February. Sikhs will contribute food, clothing, transportation and schooling for up to 2,000 refugees, according to a release. They say it’s an in-kind contribution in the millions. The decision came out of a meeting organized by Liber-

adds. Thousands of people called in to make their pledges and hundreds walked in to RED FM studio to donate money. The fundraiser radiothon started at 6 am and was wrapped up by 10 pm. “The power and generosity of the South Asian community to donate money towards improving health care for all, is extremely inspiring,” says Jane Adams, CEO, Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation. RED FM has been organizing radiothon since 2007 and over $6 million has been raised in the past nine years. Besides raising funds for local hospitals like Surrey Memorial and Peace Arch, RED FM has also raised money for natural disasters outside Canada such as earthquake in Haiti, floods in Pakistan, typhoon in Philippines, earthquake in Nepal.

RED FM’s president Kulwinder Sanghera pictured above with volunteers and RED FM’s staff, thanked the community for their outstanding support.

dents feel welcome.” Gurdwaras from Vancouver, Richmond, New Westminster, Abbotsford and Surrey have agreed to offer free meals, clothing and blankets to 2,000 refugees for three months. As well, through a province-wide campaign, the community says

Sikhs offer Syrians free schooling, food and shelter al Surrey-Centre MP Randeep Sarai. The Sikhs’ commitment includes free tuition for 1,000 students at Khalsa School, hoping to ease concerns the school district has expressed in its ability to handle the large influx of new students. “Our board has agreed to offer 1,000 students tuition-free education for one year at either of one of our

three campuses,” said principal Kamalpreet Bagga, “and we have the capacity because we have one of the largest campuses in B.C. We should welcome those that need us and what better way than giving their children a great education.” She added, “We even have several teachers who speak Arabic and we will do whatever we can to help the new stu-

A Domestic Violence Awareness Healthy Relationship Dinner was organized by the Network to Eliminate Violence in relationships in Surrey on November 19. Photo by Chandra Bodalia

it will find free housing for at least 200 refugee families.

Janta Sewak Society held a blankets, socks, gloves and jacket drive for the homeless at the Urban Mission in Surrey on November 20. Photo by Chandra Bodalia

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LOCAL

Surrey First Council jerks up property tax to cover police cost

urrey’s A Finance Committee Chair, Tom Gill, is clarifying why people in that city will be paying more in property taxes next year. Gill says while policing costs are a big part of it, it’s not all about trying to cover 100 extra officers promised for Surrey. There will be more than 800 officers in Surrey once all 100 new ones are on the ground. Sixteen more will be coming on in 2016. Gill says the driving force behind the hike is a number of elements, including operational costs for all RCMP officers. “We need to accommodate not only salaries

and benefits, the uniforms, the police cars, the office space, the technology that is needed for each individual to do his job or her job.” He adds, “So certainly when we’re looking at the entire element, the costs associated to the RCMP, just given some of the collective agreement impacts, given some of the impacts as it relates to some of the benefits, particularly some of the pension programs, again those have been higher than expected.” Gill says if those 100 officers were never part of the picture, there would still be an increase. He adds investments in amenities like rec centres and pools are also factors.

Richmond eyes own police force

Saturday, November 28, 2015 i

Surrey names a new safety czar in effort to reduce crime

former Vancouver Police to see the greatest success.” constable will hold SurIn the past, Waterhouse has rey’s safety in his hands. served as chief safety officer Dr. Terry Waterhouse won’t at Simon Fraser University, officially start his job as didirector for the centre for rector of public safety stratesafe schools and communigies until December 7, but he ties at the University of Fraser already has some idea of the Valley, worked with United difficult task he’s up against. Nations and youth justice He was brought in to the newDr. Terry Waterhouse agencies in Kosovo, Ethiopia ly created position after a string and Vietnam, and served 10 of gun violence earlier this year. years as a Vancouver Police constable. “It’s important for that most seriMayor Linda Hepner said in a writous concern to be front and center, it’s ten statement, “from his global exa very big issue and it needs to be an perience with the most vulnerable, issue that is front and centre in strat- at-risk youth to his knowledge and egy development,” Waterhouse said. expertise in the integration of public “The benefit is that in Surrey, they’ve been safety best practices, Dr. Waterhouse’s working on crime reduction for many years, technical skills, academic background and there are a lot of pieces in play, and I and leadership abilities will serve him think it’s building on those that we’ll be able well in this critical role for the City.”

he City of Richmond is examin- to be maintained on an annual basis. ing creating its own police force “We believe the local (RCMP) detachment to give it more control at the civ- has provided a good level of service, we ic level, but also costing taxpayers mil- believe we are a relatively safe commulions in additional funding per year. nity, but the issues we’re looking at are Mayor Malcolm Brodie said on Thursday higher level and long term,” Brodie said. his biggest issue with how the RCMP is run is that Ottawa calls the shots, and the city’s communications with them are limited. “Cost control, transparency and accountability — we’re (currently) in a position that the RCMP is basically able to dictate some added costs and we’re in a position where we have to pay them,” he said, pointing to how the city has to pay for its share of the RCMP B.C. headquarters, in Surrey. “The best example is Green Timbers, where years later we still don’t have an agreement for what we have to pay in terms of extra costs for that building. “They had a perfectly good headquarter in Vancouver, they moved to Surrey and we’re supposed to pay a lot of extra costs.” The cost for the city, assuming Richmond will have an independent police force in 2018, would be anywhere from $46.9 to $48.6 million — in addition to a one-time, $20-$24 million transition cost. The current RCMP projected cost in 2018 is $44.7 million. What Richmond would gain under an independent police model is arguably more control. In a civic police board model, the chairperson of the board — which oversees the force — is the mayor of the city. “You will have very direct input into that as mayor and a higher level of control, but the offset is • CREDIT CARDS DEBT • COLLECTION CALLS that in the usual police model you • LINE OF CREDIT • LEGAL ACTIONS have about seven board mem• BUSINESS LOANS • GARNISHMENTS bers,” he said. Five of those mem• REVENUE CANADA DEBT • SEIZURE OF ASSETS bers are expected to be appointed (GST, PST, PAYROLL, TAXES) • INTEREST ON PAYMENTS by the provincial government. • ICBC • NEED TO DO The proposed change would also • STUDENT LOAN BANKRUPTCY likely allow Richmond to keep its officers here, instead of being Call Now For A Free Confidential Appointment transferred around every few years as many RCMP officers do. It also gives the city the ability to hire loRegistered Credit Consultant cal residents who know the city. Email: tahir@tahirmalik.ca While there are some advantages, Brodie said his chief concern is the major cost involved. To cover the differences, the SURREY: ABBOTSFORD: 2 LOCATIONS TO city is expected to come up 208-9200, Scott Road 200 A 2451 Clearbrook Rd SERVE YOU BETTER with the transition fee from its savings, Brodie said, while imALSO PROVIDING SERVICES FROM TORONTO, MONTREAL, WINNIPEG, EDMONTON & CALGARY plementing a 1.08-1.9% property tax hike above standard inWe Provide Hope to the hopeless... We are your bridge to a DEBT FREE LIFE ! creases — that money will have

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12 i Saturday, November 28, 2015

BC Hydro set to sign Site C dam construction contract worth $1.5B

he controversial Site C construction project is one step closer to reality with BC Hydro choosing consortium Peace River Hydro Partners on Nov. 25 as its preferred partner in a $1.5-billion dollar contract to construct the dam near Fort St. John. The eight-year main civil works contract is the largest single contract for the Site C project, which is expected to cost a total of $8.3 billion. The contract is expected to be awarded by early 2016. The Peace River Hydro Partners is a consortium made up of Acciona Infrastructure Canada, Samsung C&T Canada and Petrowest Corporation, which is based in Fort St. John. Minister promises B.C. jobs About 1,500 people are expected to be working on site by mid-2018. “We want British Columbians to get first dibs on the jobs,” B.C. Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett said.

LOCAL

“There will be literally hundreds of subcontractors that will get work out of this, and they will be largely from British Columbia.” Bennett said the tender put out on the contract required bidders to guarantee First Nations workers, contractors and businesses would be given opportunities to work on the project. He said Peace River Hydro Partners also has to commit to hiring local workers from all over B.C., but specifically in the northwest of the province. “I’m quite comfortable in guaranteeing that this particular consortium that won this bid today is absolutely committed to finding local workers throughout the life cycle of the project, and to also doing its best to give opportunities to B.C. contractors, to B.C. companies. I’m absolutely convinced of that.” Bennett said using temporary foreign workers would be a last resort if no qualified Canadian worker could be found for a position.

New policies to force B.C. doctors to use PharmaNet

he body that governs physicians in B.C. says a policy is in the works that will force doctors to start checking patient drug history before writing a prescription. The move comes on the heels of a new study that revealed less than 30 per cent of doctors actually use the PharmaNet drug tracking system. The issue is particularly urgent now that more people in B.C. are dying of opioid overdoses than in alcohol and drug related car crashes every year. “Our profession is responsible for writing a lot of the prescriptions that underlie these tragic overdose deaths,” said Dr.

Ailve McNestry, deputy registrar with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. “We have to take responsibility for that.” McNestry says the new policy is currently being drafted and could be in place by 2016. The study was conducted by the the Urban Health Research Initiative and the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/ AIDS. PharmaNet is a province-wide network that tracks all prescription drugs dispensed at B.C. pharmacies. McNestry believes there are several factors leading to the to the low PharmaNet use by doctors, but that none constitute a justifiable reason for skipping the search.

SkyTrain shutdown in downtown Vancouver caused by fallen rail, says TransLink

he eight-hour SkyTrain shutdown yon Tuesday was an accident caused by a piece of replacement rail that fell in front of a train, TransLink says. SkyTrain stopped running in downtown Vancouver at around 2:30 p.m. PT Tuesday afternoon, leaving commuters stranded and delayed between Waterfront and the Commercial-Broadway station. It took three hours to find the broken piece, hidden behind a short wall next to a track near Science World, said Richard Sykes, maintenance vice president for TransLink. “We dispatched two teams from Main Street and from Waterfront and they had to walk the entire guideway looking for the offending device,” he said. Once it was found, it took the team

another five hours to make repairs, in part because crews were working in a confined space, said Sykes. The fallen rail caused such a massive shutdown because it came in contact

with a “collector shoe” on the train, said Sykes. That’s a piece that collects electrical power to propel the train along the track. The rail had been stored where it was supposed to be, but was dislodged by track vibration throughout the day, said Sykes. Before explaining what caused the shutdown, Sykes first apologized to commuters for the disruption. TransLink says it has no plans to refund fares or offer a free pass to commuters affected by the shutdown.

Spike strip ends high speed chase in West Vancouver

high speed police pursuit came to an end in West Vancouver, after a suspect in a stolen vehicle drove over a tire spike strip early Thursday morning. Two people — a man and a woman — were arrested after the wild ride, according to Surrey RCMP Staff Sgt. Blair McColl. The chase happened a little after 1 a.m. It began in Surrey at 152 Street and 102A Avenue, after a suspect allegedly rammed an RCMP cruiser, said McColl. The grey Honda Civic was stolen in Coquitlam earlier in the night, and had not yet been reported missing by the owner, said McColl.

Several officers pursued the driver onto the Trans-Canada Highway and chased the vehicle about 45 km, all the way to Exit 4, near Horseshoe Bay. Tire spike strip used McColl said the driver stayed on the highway until the car’s tires had been punctured by a spike strip. “He’d already been spiked and there wasn’t much left of his tires, so he got off the highway,” said McColl, who added that at least two of the tires were shredded. The chase came to an end on Westport Road, near the Trans-Canada Highway in West Vancouver.

LOCAL

Yoga class cancelled at University of Ottawa over ‘cultural issues’

yoga instructor who says her free class at the University of Ottawa was cancelled because of concerns over cultural appropriation believes the student union’s issues are misplaced. Jen Scharf said she’s been teaching a free yoga class for the university’s Centre for Students with Disabilities, which is run by the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa, for the last seven years. When she checked back in with the centre in September, she said she was told by them the class wouldn’t be happening because some students and volunteers were uncomfortable with the “cultural issues” involved. “I guess it was this cultural Jen Scharf appropriation issue because yoga originally comes from India,” she said on Sunday. “I told them, ‘Why don’t we just change the name of the course?’ It’s simple enough, just call it mindful stretching.… We’re not going through the finer points of scripture. We’re talking about basic physical awareness and how to stretch so that you feel good. “That went back and forth… The higher-ups at the student federation got involved, finally we got an email routed through the student federation basically saying they couldn’t get a French name and nobody wants to do it, so we’re going to cancel it for now.” Cultural appropriation is when a culture that’s seen as an oppressor borrows or steals elements of a culture they’re oppressing. Scharf said there is also concern over yoga instructors who claim to be experts in the more spiritual aspects of yoga, but aren’t. “I’m not claiming it’s anything more than a physical practice within that class,” she said. “There’s been so much positivity and so many people positively helped by this, and that’s part of the reason why I’m fighting so hard to keep it. “Those issues are important issues and they should be raised but it’s not me they should be mad at; it’s the fake people that are making claims they can’t possibly substantiate.” ‘More accessible’ class could return Scharf said she’d love to start her class again but hasn’t found a place or organization at the university willing to host it. In a French-language interview with Radio-Canada, student federation president Roméo Ahimakin said

there were no direct complaints about the class, more general questions about the issues and ideas around it. Ahimakin said they suspended the class as part of a review of all their Girija Waghray programs to make them more interesting, accessible, inclusive and responsive to the needs of students. He said they’re doing consultations on the idea of bringing a free yoga class back and could get a more accessible version of it as soon as the next semester starts in January. On Monday the University of Ottawa tweeted out a notice that it’s organizing free yoga sessions Dec. 1, 8 and 15 at its University Centre. One yoga teacher at the school emailed CBC News to say the university does that during exams and through the summer so there are other yoga options on campus. Yoga seen as spiritual, not religious There have been concerns among some Hindus over how yoga has crossed over to the Western world. For instance, the Hindu American Foundation’s “Take Back Yoga” campaign is against yoga’s commercialization. But at the Hindu Temple of Ottawa-Carleton, one husband and wife said they didn’t have an issue with what they’ve seen around the community and didn’t agree with the idea that non-Hindus teaching yoga is culturally insensitive. “In Hindi ‘yog’ means to unite. To unite with who? With your true self. That’s what yoga is. Here we tend to relate it with the postures but it’s not just postures... and it has nothing to do with religion,” said Girija Waghray, who’s been teaching yoga around Ottawa for more than 10 years. “It’s basically focusing on our health. By calming our mind, our mind becomes positive.” Dilip Waghray said he’s been practising yoga for 50 years and while he’s uncomfortable with how it’s been commercialized in the West, he chooses to focus on the benefits it’s having. “When I saw what was happening [with big crowds for free yoga] on Parliament Hill I was thrilled and probably a little bit ashamed that my body wasn’t as flexible as theirs. I said, ‘Wow,’ and the first thing I did was share with my classmates back home,” he said. “If you look at what the Western world has adapted it is just phenomenal. Imagine how much good they’re doing for themselves. They’ll live a long and very happy life.”

B.C. universities need minimum standards when responding to sexual assault, says MLA

Saturday, November 28, 2015 i

dvocates are calling for province-wide change in the way universities handle allegations of sexual assault from current or former students. David Eby, the NDP MLA for Vancouver-Point Grey, is urging the provincial government to set a minimum standard for how B.C. universities respond to such reports. This comes after the University of British Columbia issued a public apology to a group of students for failing to act quickly on their complaints regarding a 28-year-old graduate student from Russia. The student, Dmitry Mordvinov, was a PhD history student. UBC received at least six complaints about Mordvinov, including harassment and sexual assault, dating to the Spring of 2014. It expelled him last week. He says he is ap-

pealing Eby says two of the women, who filed complaints against Mordvinov, came to him before the fifth estate aired its investigation and he was shocked by what they told him. “I thought they had procedures in place to respond to these kinds of issues as they arose. it was clear as I heard these stories from these women that wasn’t the case,” he said. In an email to CBC, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Advanced Education, said: “[The minister] is working with post-secondary institutions in the province to make sure their policies on sexual assault are at least up to date. A province-wide minimum standard Eby, who is also a human rights lawyer, says the province has an ethical obligation to implement a minimum standard that universities must follow when they receive a report of sexual assault.

Women from PICS Better at Home Program (Surrey/Whalley) enjoying the Diwali Christmas Party at Tarksheel Hall in Surrey. Better at Home is a program funded by the provincial government, managed by United Way and hosted by PICS in Surrey/Whalley and South Vancouver. Volunteers were given certificates of appreciation at the event. Photo by Chandra Bodalia

14 i Saturday, November 28, 2015

LOCAL

It’s the season for Christmas! The 6th annual tree-lighting ceremony took place at Surrey City Hall this past week. Photo by Chandra Bodalia

Abbotsford police officer under investigation for shooting a cow on a public street

n incident involving a runaway cow that was pursued and shot 24 times by the Abbotsford Police Department is now being i nve st i g ate d. Police shot and killed the renegade cow shortly after 10 a.m. on Sunday, after it was spotted running across some of the busiest roads in the city. The cow was first spotted near Whatcom and South Parallel roads in Abbotsford, and soon made its way onto Highway 1, darting into oncoming traffic. “You have a family in a vehicle that strikes this animal or swerves to miss it and goes off road, you have huge implications,” said Const. Paul Walker.

The cow running before being shot Police say it wandered around the city for about 30 minutes, and ended up near the busy intersection of Sumas Way near South Fraser Way. “All attempts during that 30 minute window were unsuccessful to get somebody or some group to come and assist us,” said Walker. “Officers and our road supervisor made the decision in the interest of public safety to put down the animal.” And now, following criticism from residents, the Abbotsford police force is ordering a full review of the incident. “I did see a police officer with an assault rifle and about a dozen cops behind the cow following it up Sumas Way,” said Abbotsford resident Josh van Koll. Walker says the Abby Police Department reviews all incidents when shots are fired, but the examination of this case will be a little different. “We’re trying to come up with a solution so that we can better deal with an animal, should we encounter that again in our community,” Walker hopes another encounter never happens. He says no one wanted to see the events unfold the way they did.

B.C. restaurants no longer need lounge to serve booze without food

estaurants in B.C. no longer need a separate lounge area to serve customers alcohol without a meal, John Yap, parliamentary secretary for liquor reform announced Tuesday. Until now, restaurants with a “food-primary” liquor license were required to have a physically separated area area for patrons who only wanted booze, without food. Now those customers can sit anywhere, and have a cocktail. “The intent is still for food-primary restaurants to still be primarily offering food,” said Yap. “These kind of rule changes make it easier for us to run the business,” said Mark Roberts, owner of Luke’s Corner Bar and Kitchen, where Yap made the announcement. Ian Tostenson of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association applauded the move, saying it “cuts the amount of time an operator has to deal with government,” and makes more sense for consumers. “When you walk into a restaurant in British Columbia, you don`t expect to be put in certain areas to do certain things.” The change is part of the government’s ongoing liquor policy review, and is effective immediately.

LOCAL Former UBC dentist Christopher Zed accused of defrauding First Nations clinics

suit filed in B.C. Supreme Court claims a former University of British Columbia associate dean of dentistry siphoned millions of dollars away from clinics set up to serve First Nations patients in Haida Gwaii. Canada’s attorney general is suing Christopher Zed and the university for fraud and negligence in connection with money Health Canada gave UBC to provide dental services in Skidegate and Old Massett Village. The government claims it was overbilled by $3.3 million from April 2002 to September 2013; the suit claims $2 million worth of patient billings were allegedly diverted to bank accounts controlled by the dentist. “Dr. Zed’s spending behaviour contravened the most basic expectations of an official entrusted to manage the Haida Dental Project for the benefit of marginalized and vulnerable communities,” the statement of claim says.

B.C. housing affordability worst for single moms in Coquitlam: study

inding good, affordable housing in Metro Vancouver is no easy task, but a study released on Monday has found that some people struggle more than others. The Rental Housing Index from the B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association used data from the 2011 census to find that the people likely to struggle the most in B.C. — meaning who are spending the largest portion of their income on housing — are single mothers in Coquitlam. Almost half of those single mothers spend over 50 per cent of their income on housing. “Communities that have grown up a lot over the last 20 years have done so in an era where the federal government hasn’t built any social housing,” Tony Roy, CEO of the B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association, told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn. “So for the people at the bottom end of the income spectrum, nothing was being built for them,” Also suffering are seniors in Kelowna, who pay an average of $400 more per month on housing than seniors in the rest of B.C. The study also found that while immigrants find the same levels of affordability on average as the rest of Canadians, they are twice as likely to live in overcrowded conditions. “Twenty-five per cent of immigrant families are living in overcrowded conditions,” Roy said. “Some of this may be cultural, but what’s more likely is we’re not building rental housing in a way that is sensitive to intergenerational living conditions.” Overall, the data paints a grim picture about housing affordability throughout the province. Roy says things will probably get worse before they get better, despite the new federal government’s promise to get back into the housing game.

According to the lawsuit Zed worked in various capacities during his tenure at UBC, receiving attention for providing dental care to athletes at the 2010 Winter Olympics. The suit claims he was dismissed in 2013, when he was associate dean of strategic and external affairs with the faculty of dentistry. Health Canada claims it entered into several contracts with the university to provide dental care to First Nations residents in Haida Gwaii who weren’t covered by provincial health benefits or private insurance. In addition to paying for dental services, supplies and travel incurred by UBC, Ottawa fully funded and equipped two dental clinics in Skidegate and Old Massett Village. But according to the statement of claim, UBC contacted Health Canada in November 2013 to say “it had concerns regarding the financial operations of the Haida Dental Project.”

Saturday, November 28, 2015 i

Child poverty affects 1 in 5 BC children, report says

B.C. children’s advocacy group says the provincial government is failing the province’s youngest and poorest residents, with one of every five children living in poverty. In a report published Tuesday, the First Call: B.C. Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition makes 21 recommendations to help reduce the child poverty rate to seven per cent or less by 2020 — including raising the minimum wage and welfare rates and adopting a $10-per-day childcare plan. “It’s neglect to allow thousands of children to languish in poverty in this province when we know what would help and what will help,” said Adrienne Montani, provincial coordinator for First Call. Poverty for children is especially dire in urban regions, with half of all B.C. youngsters in poverty living in Metro Vancouver, according to First Call’s report. However, children in rural regions are in trouble too. The report

says more than one in two children on B.C.’s Central Coast live in poverty. Single-parent families are also at a much greater risk of poverty, with 50.3 per cent of children from those families living in poverty, while only 13 per cent of children from two-parent families live in poverty, the report says. The percentage of B.C. children living in poverty has barely changed since last year’s report from the same group. That report found 20.6 per cent of B.C. children in 2012 were living in poverty. In the report released Tuesday using 2013 data, First Call found that number to be 20.4 per cent. “[The change] is so minute it’s hard to measure. We’re still talking about thousands of children in poverty in this province,” said Montani. The national poverty rate for children according to the report is 19 per cent.

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16 i Saturday, November 28, 2015

LOCAL Vancouver ‘doesn’t make sense’ for Syrian refugees because of high cost of living, says immigration lawyer

Devotees at the Hindu Temple in Burnaby celebrated Tulsi Vivah on November 22. Photo by Chandra Bodalia.

“You may not have snow and ice but you sure have a high cost of living, and refugees destined for Vancouver without family here are going to have a hard time of it.” Kurland said it can cost up to $50,000 for a private group to sponsor a family in Vancouver, whereas that money may stretch to two or three families elsewhere. He said he’s advised faith groups and others to send the money they raise to affiliates in other provinces, but most have told him they also want to offer the newcomers community and emotional support — which can’t be sent by money order. ‘Heartwarming’ response in B.C. B.C. Public Safety Minister Shirley Bond called Ottawa’s decision to delay the resettlement of the promised 25,000 refugees

by two months a “very prudent approach.” The province is still waiting for specific numbers on how many refugees will come to B.C. — which is a federal decision, said Bond. B.C. has the capacity to take in up to 3,500 Syrian refugees across the province, said Bond, who praised the efforts of individuals, churches and communities offering to help. “It’s been really heartwarming ... we continue to be impressed and encouraged by the people who are reaching out and saying we want to be part of welcoming refugees to British Columbia.” She said B.C. receives an average of 1,600 to 1,700 refugees every year, and will be ready. “As we speak, immigrant-serving organizations across the province are identifying housing options and looking at the supports that refugees will require,” said Bond.

Burnaby tower approved amid fears of “demovictions”

Protesters at the Buranby City Hall partment residents near Metro- ages of housing, are the people who are livtown in Burnaby are another step ing in the older rental buildings, the buildcloser to losing their homes, af- ings that were purpose built apartments.” ter Council voted unanimously to move Drury adds it’s the city’s job to forward with a plan to demolish sever- preserve low-income housing. al low-rise apartment buildings in fa“It’s exclusively the responsibility of muvour of a new high-rise development. nicipal governments to regulate the develAbout a dozen people spoke at a pub- opment futures in these communities. And lic hearing contesting the rezoning of four faster than anyone can build affordable housproperties in the area, calling for a mora- ing, if any were being built, we’re losing it.” torium in the city on tearing down rental The rezoning application calls for the buildings by denying the rezoning applica- building of a 27-storey apartment towtions. Demonstration organizer Ivan Drury er as well as street-side townhouses. says about 100 people gathered before toAfter the motion was approved, the hearnight’s city council meeting this evening to ing was halted when protesters shouted rally against the projects. “The people who down council, prompting Mayor Derare really vulnerable to the housing crisis, to ek Corrigan to walk out of the chamber. the high cost of housing and to the short-

LOCAL

Prosecutor urges jury to convict two men of killing Vancouver teen in sword attack

struck first, folprosecutor Monlowed by Dhillon, day urged a jury during the asto convict two sault in the front men accused in a fatal yard of a home in attack on a Vancouver East Vancouver. teen involving a samuDhillon testirai sword and a golf club. fied to a different Amritpal Dhillon has story. He claimed pleaded not guilty to the Amrit Dhillon (left) and Amrit Rahkra that he had delivJanuary 2013 second-deered the fatal blow after Akalirai lunged at gree murder of Manraj Akalirai, 19. Am- him with the sword. Then, he said, Rakhra ritpaul Rakhra, Dhillon’s struck him with the club. “He cut his head off co-accused, has pleaded McCabe argued that with a sword,” Mcnot guilty to manslaughter. Dhillon’s version of events Cabe said of Dhillon. The Crown’s theory is was illogical and should “ ... What that Rakhra used a golf be rejected by the jury. possible intention club to strike Akalirai He said that while could there be from over the head. ProsWitness X was an “unthat?” ecutors allege Dhilsavoury” witness, his verlon then used the sword to near- sion was corroborated by other evidence. ly decapitate the victim following a confrontation between two groups of men. Both accused are arguing that they acted in self-defence and should therefore be acquitted, but Crown counsel Brendan McCabe told the jury that they should reject those submissions. In final submissions, McCabe said that the jury should conclude that both men were guilty of their crimes beyond a reasonable doubt. “He cut his head off with a sword,” McCabe said of Dhillon. “ ... What possible intention could there be from that?” With a second-degree murder charge, the onus is on the Crown to prove that the accused intended to commit the murder. A Crown witness, who can only be identified as Witness X, testified that Rakhra

Toronto police charge South Asian woman with defrauding the charity of $800,000

Fifty-year old Karima Manji of Toronto was arrested last Wednesday. Toronto Police Service

oronto police have charged a woman with defrauding the March of Dimes charity of $800,000. They say the suspect was the charity’s property manager and had been a longstanding employee. Fifty-year old Karima Manji of Toronto was arrested last Wednesday after officers executed a search warrant. Manji is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 22. to face charges of fraud over $5,000, uttering forged document, theft over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. Investigators say they believe there may be other victims.

Saturday, November 28, 2015 i

Canada issues 928 visas to Syrian refugees, adding $100M in aid

anada has so far issued 928 permanent resident visas to Syrian refugees — but there is still no timeline for when they could start arriving. Immigration Minister John McCallum blames red tape overseas for the delays. “Not all of them yet have exit visas from Lebanon, and we are working really, really hard to expedite that so they can get those exit visas as soon as possible,” McCallum said an interview with Chris Hall, host of CBC Radio’s The House. McCallum also said the first group of new refugees will be flown to Canada on a military plane — although the date for that flight has yet to be set because of the lack of exit visas. “That will be followed by further flights that will be leased,” he added. All flights will be arriving in Toronto and Montreal, and the refugees who will be resettled in other cities will travel on from there. The government also intends to launch a web-

site that will provide regular updates on the progress and delays for the Canadian population, McCallum said. ‘What I want to do is be clear and transparent and take the 35 million along with us on the voyage,” he explained, “and let them see the good things and let them also see the challenges.” More aid money Canada will also contribute an added $100 million to aid the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in efforts to help Syrian refugees meet their “basic daily needs.” Minister for International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau made the announcement Thursday, following through on a Liberal election promise and filling in some of the blanks regarding Canada’s plan to bring 10,000 more refugees to this country in the next five weeks. “We know that Syrian refugees are cutting on meals, taking on debt to meet their basic daily needs and risking their lives to leave Syria,” Bibeau said.

18 i Saturday, November 28, 2015

TYLE

Saturday - November 28, 2015

75% of my liver lost to cirrhosis: Amitabh

Salman Khan breaks the Rs 200 crore mark at the box office with ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’

n August 1982, an entire nation went into mourning when reigning superstar Amitabh Bachchan was seriously injured during a fight sequence with co-actor Puneet Issar during the shoot of Manmohan Desai’s Coolie (1983). Fans across the country prayed for his recovery as Bachchan, then not even 40 years old, fought for his life, having suffered serious damage to his intestines. Eventually, he recovered. Coolie released a year

later and became a box-office hit. However, in 2000, after 18 years of functioning normally, he discovered that he had lost 75% of his liver due to cirrhosis caused by a newly-

discovered antigen of Hepatitis B, which entered his body through one of the 200 blood transfusions he had to undergo during his treatment, said a report by The Indian Express. Bachchan had revealed these details on his blog earlier, as reported by DNA in 2010. On Monday, Bachchan spoke again about his condition at the launch of a Hepatitis B campaign kickstarted by the Health Ministry in association with UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) in Mumbai. About 40 million people in India are estimated to be suffering from Hepatitis B in India at the moment, and the campaign aims to eradicate this completely over the next ten years.

Bold affair!

South Asian wedding show Nov. 29 in Surrey

he second annual South Asian Wedding Awards Show and sixth annual Love Ishq Pyar Wedding Tradeshow are set for Sunday, Nov. 29 in Surrey The second annual South Asian Wedding Awards Show and sixth annual Love Ishq Pyar Wedding Tradeshow are set for Sunday, Nov. 29 in Surrey. The wedding trade show will feature more than 30 wedding vendors and will begin at 2 p.m., while the wedding awards show, which will honour the finest vendors in B.C.’s South Asian community, will begin at 4 p.m. The events happen at Aria Banquet Hall (12350 Pattullo Pl, Surrey). Tickets are $10 at the door. For more information, contact organizer Rina Gill at 778-688- 4973

Mendak Prasad slips in coma

Hate Story 3 is an upcoming 2015 Indian thriller, film directed by Vishal Pandya. Produced by T-Series, it stars Sharman Joshi, Zarine Khan, Daisy Shah, Karan Singh, in lead roles, and Priyanshu Chatterjee in a pivotal role. Written by Vikram Bhatt and Madhuri Banerji, the film is a sequel to Pandya’s 2014 thriller Hate Story 2. The film is scheduled to be released on 4 December 2015

Star & Style

2 i Saturday, November 28, 2015

What Bollywood saying about Aamir Khan’s remarks

amir Khan kicked sparked off a war of up a controversy sorts on twitter with on social networkthe industry being ing sites after his statement at divided with supporta press conference that stated ers and those who are that his wife Kiran Rao had detesting Khan for his expressed her views on leavstatement. Here are a ing the country. Like any few tweets that caught debate in the recent past this statement too out attention: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Anupam Kher: big supporter of Modi “Dear @aamir_khan. Ji earlier. Today all the Did you ask Kiran TV channels are showwhich country would ing headline “Aamir’s she like to move out #Dangal with Modi” to? Did you tell her Khatam! Ho Gaya that this country has Aamir Khan Kaa Kaam made you AAMIR Ab 300+Cr Pakka KHAN. Did you tell Kiran that you have lived through more Sanjay Gupta: “THOSE ACCUSING worse times in this country & but you never AAMIR KHAN OF BEING INTOLERANT thought of moving out. When did ‘IncredPL HAVE DA TOLERANCE TO WATCH ible India’ become ‘Intolerant India’ for you? DA WHOLE INTEROnly in the last 7-8 months? #AtithiDevoBVIEW. NOWHERE havah. Dear @aamir_khan Presumed counDOES HE SAY HE try has become #Intolerant. Wat do u sugWANTS TO LEAVE gest 2 millions of Indians? Leave India? Or INDIA. “That was a diwait till regime changes? #SatyamevaJayate sastrous statement for u talked about evil practices but gave Hope. Kiran to make.” Aamir So even in ‘Intolerant’ times u need 2 spread Khan’s next line after Hope not Fear.” saying that Kiran wants to leave. Hear the full Ashoke Pandit: interview.” Now that @aamir_ khan also feels we are an #IntolerantNation. Vishal Dadlani: Let us now go all out “More power to your and prove once for all voice, @aamir_khan that we are really intolSir! This is OUR counerant. try, it belongs to ALL Indians. Not to rabid lunatics from any parKamaal R Khan: People must try to ty/religion!” think that why is Aamir Khan forced to say something about intolerance who was

Zarine Khan ready for scenes with Salman The actress who made her debute opposite Salman Khanin film ‘VEER has no problem doing more films with Salman Khan.

Nanak Shah Fakir’ to be re-released after alterations in script

‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’ actress Disha Vakani ties the knot TV actress Disha Vakani, who is known to play Dayaben in the popular show ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’, has tied the knot with chartered accountant Mayur in Mumbai. The marriage is an arranged one and the wedding was held in Maheshwari Hall in Oshiwara on Tuesday.

“On Akal Takht’s directions, I’ve modified certain portions of the film. There are some technical issues which need to be sorted out and after that the film would be re-released,” ‘Nank Shah Fakir’ producer Harinder Sikka said.

Bipasha Basu’s face burnt!

pictures of her burnt face and arms. While the actress also slammed her hair stylist for the act, she claimed that the senior hair stylist was acting clumsy and dropped the hair tong on her face and arms and burning them.

ccidents happen on the sets ofBollywood films. That’s not new. But this time, it wasn’t accident. It was negligence.Bipasha Basu faced burns on her face and wrist, courtesy her hair stylist. The actress took to the social network to share

Karisma Kapoor and Sunjay Kapur divorce takes a messy turn The estranged couple had filed for divorce on mutual consent, but Karisma Kapoor has sought to withdraw her consent to the petition after her husband Sunjay Kapur allegedly failed to meet financial commitments Bollywood actress Karisma Kapoor, who had last year filed for a divorce from her husband Sunjay Kapur on the grounds of mutual consent, yesterday decided to withdraw her consent to the petition. The estranged couple has been asked to be present in court on Friday. File pic In the application filed before the family court, the actress stated she was withdrawing her consent since her husband had al-

legedly failed to comply with the financial commitments mentioned in the consent terms signed by the couple. Karisma’s lawyer, Kranti Sathe said, “The petition did not formalise on Wednesday. We have filed an application to withdraw consent from the petition. Our stand is that there is no compliance from his (Sunjay’s) side and therefore we want to withdraw. The court has asked both parties to be present on Friday.”

Salim Khan celebrate birthday with family and friends

Bollywood personalities’ Birthdays this week Esha Gupta 28 Nov 1985 (Age 29)

Boman Irani

2 Dec 1962

Irrfan Khan 30 Nov 1962 (Age 52)

Udit Narayan 01 Dec 1955 (Age 59)

Konkona Sen Sharma 03 Dec 1979 (Age 35)

Javed Jaffrey 04 Dec 1963 (Age 51)

alim Khan, father of Salman Khan and screen-writer of many a hit movies of ’70s and ’80s celebrated his birthday on Nov 24th Khan was born in 1935 Indor, India. Salim Khan, who had penned many blockbuster screenplays with his writing partner Javed Akhtar like ‘Sholay, ‘Mr India, ‘Deewar, ‘Don, celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday’. Naturally, it was a huge occasion for the Khan boys, who are always together like a close-knit group

Star & Style

Sunny’s new dreams and desire!

MOVIES RELEASED THIS WEEK - November 27, 2015

Tamasha

Slap Aamir Khan and get Rs 100,000: Shiv Sena SRK to enter ‘BIGG BOSS

ing to the social conventions expected of him.[2] Principal photography began in Corsica, France in July 2014. Post this schedule, filming continued briefly in Indian cities—Shimla, Delhi, Gurgaon and Kolkata followed by two-day schedule in Tokyo, Japan. The filming concluded in Mumbai by August 2015.

Tamasha is an upcoming Indian romantic drama film written and directed by Imtiaz Ali and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. It stars Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in lead roles. Tamasha tells the story of character “Ved” (played by Ranbir Kapoor) who loses his self by living accord-

A different Sunny Leone: Now she wants to play a ‘supergirl’ Over the past few years, superhero films have been setting the cash registers ringing at the box office, now, Sunny Leone is set to play a ‘supergirl’ in her upcoming home production. The project is still in its development stage.

Saturday, November 28, 2015 i 3

Sunny

Starring Akhilesh Verma, Naina ‘Yeh Ishq Sarfira’ a revenge drama based on real life event comprising

Yeh Ishq Sarfira

newcomers, Varun Khanna said, “The script didn’t have space for established stars. We needed a certain kind of rawness for the film.” Director Varun Khanna said his forthcoming action entertainer is inspired from a

Cricketer Yuvraj Singh dating Bodyguard actor Hazel Keech?

umours are doing the rounds that the Indian cricketing heartthrob, and British model-turned-actor, Hazel Keech are dating. (Agencies and Twitter) Is cricketer Yuvraj Singh off the market (again)? Is he dating a Bollywood actor (again)? Well, we can’t confirm what the real deal is, but rumours are doing the rounds that the Indian cricket heartthrob and British model-turned-actor, Hazel Keech are more than “just friends”.

We aren’t talking about Shah Rukh Khan deciding on promoting his upcoming film Dilwale at Salman Khan’s residence. In fact, we have learnt that Shah Rukh Khan will soon be seen promoting his film on ‘Bigg Boss’, the very show that’s hosted by his ‘friend-turned-foe-turned-friend’ Salman Khan. Interestingly, this decision to promote his film Dilwale comes after Salman had stated that the actor was more than welcome to be a part of his show

Pulkit Samrat separates from wife Shweta Rohira

EYEGLASSES Fukrey actor Pulkit Samrat has separated from his wife Shweta Rohira after one year of being together. In an exclusive interaction with The Indian Express.com, Shweta Rohira said how her family, rakhi brother Salman Khan have been her support system. “My family has been extremely supportive of me in whatever I have done till now. Today as well it is my family who has been supporting me and that includes Salman bhai as well. Just because he is a superstar doesn’t mean he will not support. He is family to me,” said Shweta. Pulkit and Shweta were childhood friends. They ringed in their first anniversary recently on November 3. Pulkit’s separation has also brought into limelight his alleged closeness with actress Yami Gautam.

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Vancouver rentals quadruple, but residents question affordability

he percentage of new rental units built in Vancouver has soared in the last decade — but some residents say it has not led to more affordable housing. Mukhtar Latif, the city’s housing budget chief, said new rental units jumped from five per cent of new housing starts between 2005-2009 to roughly 20 per cent

Commercial property prices to hit record highs in 2016: CBRE

forecast for the Metro Vancouver commercial real estate market says “insatiable investors will push property prices to record highs” next year. CBRE predicts those high prices will push the rate of return for buyers to record lows. Norm Taylor, CBRE’s managing director for BC, says there’s been a change since Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics. “Since 2010 — the Winter Olypmics — our market has matured sig-

nificantly. We’re seeing everything get bigger: bigger tenants, bigger buildings, bigger rents, bigger prices.” That pressure will affect neighbourhoods CBRE calls “inner sub-markets” as developers and investors “continue to build strategies” around areas such as Mount Pleasant and Strathcona. The agency says Vancouver’s tech sector will continue to lease office space, as struggling resource companies use less. CBRE adds that demand for industrial space is strong, due to “Vancouver’s importance as a key part of the increasingly sophisticated supply chain.” It expects availability to tighten and construction to rise next year in response to demand.

between 2010 and 2014. He attributes the jump to initiatives that encouraged developers to build rental units over condos. “[The program] has had a big impact,” Latif said. “It will create affordability over time because we are are getting new supply coming in.” 4 i Saturday, July 25, 2015

The city launched the program six years ago, giving developers incentives, including parking reductions, higher density allowances and waiving development cost if they built rental units Latif said the incentives worked. Ac-

cording to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, (CMHC) there were about 4,600 rental housing construction starts between 2010 and 2014. By contrast, between 2005-2009, the CMHC counted only about 1,000 total rental starts. Continued on page 7

6 i Saturday, November 28, 2015

Mortgage rates inch higher from record summer lows

anadian mortgage rates have on bonds they sell, and what they can get in bounced up from their record return for loaning that money to home buylows of this summer in anticipa- ers. That spread has been thinning as the tion of an improving economy prompting bond market reacts to a widely held belief that the U.S. central bank is getting ready to central banks to do the same. Five-year, fixed-rate mortgages have hike its benchmark interest rate for the first inched up between 10 and 15 basis points time in almost a decade. Bond yields are rising in anticipation of since the summer, Penelope Graham, editor at RateSupermarket.ca said in an that, and “when bond yields go up, so do interview. A basis point is 1/100th of a fixed mortgage rates because lenders have percentage point, so a 10-point hike is to absorb those costs,” Graham said. When the equivalent of a mortgage rate going asked for comment, none of the five big Cafrom 2.55 per cent to 2.65. That would nadian banks provided details as to whether move the payment on a 25-year mort- or not they had hiked their five-year rate gage for $400,000 from $1,800 a month recently, but a spokesperson with TD Bank said “we review our rates to $1,820 — not a large BMO .............. 2.79 per cent. on an ongoing basis so number in absolute terms Royal Bank .... 2.94 per cent. that that we’re providbut a psychological shock Scotiabank..... 4.49 per cent. ing competitive options to mortgage holders who had perhaps gotten used TD ..................4.64 per cent. to meet the needs of our to cheaper and cheaper CIBC ............. 4.79 per cent. customers.” “In making rate decisions,we borrowing for the last halfdecade. Fixed-rate mortgages, especially take into account a number of factors,” the five-year ones, make up the lion’s share of spokesperson said, adding that the bank Canada’s mortgage market, and their rates did recently hike its rate on a less-common are intrinsically tied to activity in the bond four-year mortgage by 10 basis points. Many market, because borrowing there is where alternative lenders still have rates well bebanks generally come up with the money low three per cent, but the big banks’ rates to loan to mortgage applicants who want are more closely watched since they tend to buy a home. The cost of borrowing is to dominate the industry. Customers can going up everywhere. A five-year Govern- often negotiate a better deal with the bank ment of Canada bond was paying out 0.6 than their posted rate offers, but according per cent as recently as August. Today it’s to RateSupermarket.ca, here’s the posted up by more than half, to 0.92 per cent — five-year mortgage rate at each of Canada’s still low, but a factor in the quiet upward biggest banks: Fixed rate loans aren’t the only ones inching higher, though. The Bank creep of mortgage rates. Variable rate mortgages are closely tied of Canada has cut its benchmark interest to the central bank’s rates, but the larger rate twice this year, and each time, lenders pool of fixed-rate mortgages are priced ratcheted their variable rates lower. The cenbased on what’s happening in the bond tral bank is showing no signs of raising its market because that’s where banks finance benchmark rate, yet variable mortgage rates their loans. Banks make money on the have inched up by 10 to 20 basis points from spread between what they have to pay out where it was in the summer.

Saturday, November 28, 2015 i 7

Spinach and Feta Pasta Ingredients :

Recipe

riginal recipe makes 4 servings, 1 (8 ounce) packagepenne pasta, 2 tablespoonsolive oil, 1/2 cupchopped onion, 1 clovegarlic, minced, 3 cupschopped tomatoes, 1 cupsliced fresh mushrooms, 2 cupsspinach leaves, packed, salt and pepper to taste, 1 pinchred pepper flakes, 8 ouncesfeta cheese, crumbled

Method:

1.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in

boiling water until al dente; drain. 2.Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic, and cook until golden brown. Mix in tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook 2 minutes more, until tomatoes are heated through and spinach is wilted. Reduce heat to medium, stir in pasta and feta cheese, and cook until heated through.

Tomato, Basil, Pasta This is a simple recipe, flavorful dish served at room temperature. This dish will refrigerate well and is just as good the next day for lunch as a cold pasta salad

Ingredients :

riginal recipe makes 6 servingsChange Servings, 2 cupsdiced tomatoes, 1 smallonion, finely chopped, 6 tablespoonsolive oil 2 clovescrushed garlic, 6 leavesfresh basil, torn, 10 ouncesfusilli pasta, 3 tablespoonsgrated Parmesan cheese, or to taste, 1 1/2 cupscrumbled feta cheese, salt and ground black pepper to taste

Method:

Recipe

1.Stir tomatoes, onion, olive oil, garlic, and basil together in a bowl. 2.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook fusilli in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but firm to the bite, 12 minutes. Drain. 3.Toss warm pasta with feta cheese and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Stir tomato mixture into pasta and season with salt and pepper.

Coconut Curry Soup

Ingredients 2 cans (14-ounce/400 mL each) of premium coconut milk 1 heaping tablespoon (20 mL) of Thai curry paste the tender stems of 1 bunch of cilantro, rinsed well2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced, 2 cups (500 mL0 of chicken broth, 1 carrot, shredded, 4 or 5 lime leaves, 2 stalks of lemon grass, halved lengthwise, woody leaves removed2 tablespoons (30 mL) of fish sauce the zest and juice of 2 limes a small knob frozen ginger, a handful bean sproutsa 8 ounce (225 g) package rice noodles 1 bunch of cilantro leaves, rinsed well 2 or 3 green onions, thinly sliced a sprinkle or two salt or soy sauce Methord: Scoop coconut cream from the top of just one of the cans into a large stockpot set over a medium-high heat. Melt the cream, add the curry paste and stir for a few minutes until they begin to sizzle. Add the cilantro roots and chicken and sauté until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the coconut juice from the first

can and all the contents of the second can along with the chicken broth, carrot, lime leaves, lemon grass, fish sauce and lime zest and juice. Grate the frozen ginger into the broth with a Microplane grater or standard box grater. Simmer for 20 minutes or so. Stir in the bean sprouts. Add the rice noodles, gently pushing them beneath the surface of the broth. Turn off the heat and let stand until the noodles soften, about 5 min-

ute s . R i c e no o dles don’t need to simmer like pasta to cook; they simply need to rehydrate in the hot liquid. Stir in most of the cilantro leaves. Remove the lemon grass stalks. Taste and season with a touch more salt (or soy sauce) as needed. Ladle into large bowls and garnish with the green onions and remaining cilantro leaves.

Vancouver rentals quadruple, but residents question affordability

NewWestEndrentalstoosteep,sayresidents One of the new rental starts was a 22-storey high rise from developer Westbank Corp. on the corner of Broughton and Comox streets in the West End. The 192-unit building, approved in 2012, opened last year. But some area residents have complained the rents are too steep. A two-bedroom apartment was recently listed at nearly $3,500 per month. Randy Helten, who heads a West End residents’ association, says the apartment building was pitched to the community as a development that would increase the pool of affordable housing in the area. “The city should be monitoring what kind of rents are being charged,” Helton said. “At the very least that should be fedback for mayor and council to see if their policies and decisions are providing affordable housing.”

Latif said the incentive program initially placed no rent limits on developers, but those regulations have since been amended. Since 2013, developers are required to place limits on rents to qualify for development waivers. Latif said the goal of the program was simply to encourage developers to built rental buildings. In that respect, the West End building and incentive program are successes, he argues. “The aim of the pilot was to switch to secure market rentals from condos. The alternative would have been a condo building and no rentals. The fact that we were able to introduce 192 market rentals has enabled people to move into that property. “That means they’re not putting pressure on the existing stock and pushing rents up on the affordable stock in the West End.”

8 i Saturday, November 28, 2015

AUTO

Volkswagen target of tax evasion probe over break for low-polluting cars

erman prosecutors said Tuesday they have widened their investigation of Volkswagen to include suspicion of tax evasion after revelations that some of its cars were emitting more carbon dioxide than officially reported. Braunschweig prosecutor Birgit Seel told The Associated Press that the investigation was focused on five Volkswagen employees but would not release their names. The focus of the investigation is on tax breaks Volkswagen received for producing low-polluting cars that it might not have qualified for if the emissions had been correctly reported, Seel said. Volkswagen has acknowledged it produced 11 million vehicles worldwide with small diesel engines that contained software allowing them to cheat nitrogen oxide tests. Earlier this month, it also said it found “unexplained inconsistencies” in emissions from more of its vehicles of carbon dioxide. The news did nothing to hurt Volkswagen’s market rally, with the company leading the DAX during midday trading in Frankfurt with shares up 5.4 per cent to 115.80 euros ($164.16 Cdn). Software update will fix cars The rise came the day after CEO Matthias Mueller told company managers that all technical details on how to fix cars fitted with emissions rigging software in Europe would be provided to Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority by the end of November, and that most wouldn’t require major work.

He said the agency has already signed off on a software update which will alone be enough to fix affected 2-litre diesel motors, and has given the “basic go” to a fix for the 1.6-litre vehicles that will involve a software update and a “relatively simple” replacement of an air filter cartridge and grill. Details are still being finalized on a fix for 1.2-litre motors, but it should also just require a software update. “For about 90 per cent of the group’s vehicles in Europe the solutions are now confirmed,” Mueller said according to a copy of the speech he gave at company headquarters in Wolfsburg. “The cost for the retrofitting is technically, physically and financially manageable. That is a good development.” Audi revising U.S. regulatory documents Meantime, Volkswagen subsidiary Audi said it had agreed to revise and resubmit to U.S. authorities the parameters of its engine-management software used in the V6 TDI 3-litre engine, which is used in its American models A6, A7, A8, Q5 and Q7 from 2009 on. Volkswagen also uses the engine in the Touraeg and Porsche has used it in the Cayenne since 2013. Once approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, it will be installed in the affected vehicles. The company acknowledges that so-

Saturday, November 28, 2015 i

Toyota world’s biggest automaker after Volkswagen sales fall in October

oyota Motor Corp. remains the world’s top-selling automaker after Volkswagen AG sales fell 5.3 per cent in the wake of its diesel emissions scandal. Volkswagen briefly claimed the top selling title earlier this year, but Toyota has out sold Volkswagen on a year-to-date basis since July. Toyota said on Friday its group vehicle sales totalled 8.35 million in the January-October period, more than the 8.26 million vehicles delivered by Volkswagen during the same period. Group sales at the Japanese auto maker in the year through October eased 1.2 per cent from the previous year, while Volkswagen group sales for

same period eased 1.7 per cent on the year. North American vehicle sales are at record levels, but there has been a drop in important markets such as China and Europe. Earlier this month, Volkswagen said October sales fell 5.3 per cent yearon-year after it admitted that it cheated diesel emissions tests in some of its cars sold in the United States since 2009. Volkswagen is under intense financial pressure because of the cost of recalling and fixing cars worldwide and mounting legal costs. South Korea said Thursday it fined Volkswagen $12.3 million and ordered recalls of 125,522 diesel vehicles after finding emissions tests were rigged.

Magna forms seating joint venture in China SHANGHAI: - Magna International Inc. and Chongqing Hongli Zhixin Automotive Parts Manufacture Co., Ltd. have announced the signing of a 50/50 joint-venture agreement to provide complete seating systems and seating components to Changan Ford and other customers in China. Hongli Zhixin, a leading independent seating supplier in China with capabilities in foam, trim and structures, as well as established OEM customers, brings its manufacturing facility in Harbin and two production programs to the JV. A Hongli Zhixin-Magna headquarters will be located in Chongqing. This JV is expected to strengthen Magna’s position in China by providing additional regional knowledge of customer and market expectations, enhancing the competitiveness of its cost structure through vertical integration and facilitating faster response times.

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NATIONAL

Senator Duffy’s friend wraps up testimony in his trial

he man who received $65,000 in contracts from his friend Mike Duffy wrapped up testimony at the senator’s fraud trial today. Gerald Donohue, a former television technician and human resources professional, is testifying for the fourth day in Ontario Court of Justice via video link from his home in Carp, Ont. Duffy has pleaded not guilty to 31 charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust related to his travel, housing and office expenses. As part of his consulting services, Dono-

hue said he carried out research on aging, mostly by searching on the internet, and for a project on “Why I’m a Conservative.” He said he spent more than 100 hours a year on the phone with Duffy bouncing around ideas and providing advice, and another 50 hours carrying out research. Cheques to 3rd parties Of the $65,000 in contracts, Donohue paid out more than $40,000 from the account of two companies owned by his wife Gail and son Matt, Maple Ridge Media and Ottawa ICF.

Supreme Court strikes down human smuggling law in Tamil smuggling case

eople helping undocumented migrants enter Canada by steering the ship or acting as a lookout cannot automatically be branded as human smugglers, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled. In one of two related judgments Friday, the court ruled in favour of several Tamils who arrived in B.C. aboard a rickety boat called the MV Sun Sea. The court called Canada’s human smuggling laws “overbroad,” saying it would lump in family members and humanitarians helping people seek asylum in Canada. “The scope is overbroad and interferes with conduct that bears to connection to [people smuggling],” it says on page 4 of the 31-page ruling. Reaction to the ruling was swift. Michael Bossin, lawyer for Amnesty International in Ottawa, said in referring to the previous ruling Conservatives: “The Harper government argued that the law should apply to anyone who brings anyone into Canada for any reason, humanitarian or otherwise. Well that decision didn’t appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. They’ve said no, in fact that is not what the law is all about.” Refugee law has become less human •Laura Track, staff lawyer at the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, said: “Refugee law has become much more punitive

and less humane over the past 10 years. There are many aspects of Canadian refugee law that need fixing, and today the court has just fixed just one of them.” In the two separate but related rulings, the top court found unanimously that two sections of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act do not apply to some people who help refugee claimants reach Canada. The exceptions include family members, humanitarian workers and migrants helping other migrants. The cases before the court involved several people accused of human smuggling. Most are Tamils who arrived aboard the MV Ocean Lady and the MV Sun Sea off the B.C. coast in 2009 and 2010. ‘A father offering a blanket to a shivering child, or friends sharing food aboard a migrant vessel, could be subject to prosecution.’ - Beverley McLachlin, Supreme Court of Canada chief justice The court did not strike down the sections of the law dealing with human smuggling, but imposed a narrower definition. In the case of the migrants aboard the MV Sun Sea, they will now have their admissibility to Canada reconsidered, and if it’s granted, will likely file refugee claims here. In the case of four migrants who arrived via the Ocean Lady, the Supreme Court ruled they will still face a criminal trial based on charges that they took money to bring people to Canada.

Mulcair wants stronger stance on climate change

DP Leader Thomas Mulcair is pushing the federal government to set more ambitious emission reduction targets. He is set to outline the NDP’s demands ahead of the Paris climate talks in Ottawa at 11 a.m. ET. Mulcair and the NDP’s environment critic Nathan Cullen will leave this weekend to participate in the COP21 climate change summit in Paris. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invited all the leaders of opposition parties as well as provincial and territorial leaders to be part of the Canadians delegation to the UN-hosted summit.

POLITICS

Tom Mulcair vows he will stay on as leader of NDP

espite losing his position as the leader of the Official Opposition and dropping back to third place in the past election, Thomas Mulcair vows to stay on as the leader of the NDP and fight the next election, he told SiriusXM’s daily radio program, “Everything is Political.” “Yes, I will stay on, I’ve got very strong support in the party,” Mulcair said. “The party membership has always been there for me and I expect them to be there in April.” The NDP has a leadership review scheduled for April in Edmonton where delegates will vote on Mulcair’s future. As reported recently in Maclean’s, some NDP MPs and senior officials who did not want to be named believe Mulcair’s time is up and he should now help with a transition to a new leader. If Mulcair does not get at least 75 per cent of the vote in April, according to one senior source, he should step down. Mulcair does accept that he must bear the brunt of the blame for the poor showing in the campaign. “I am the leader of the party—all responsibility is always on my shoulders,” he said. As a consequence, a review process is already under way and over 20,000 members have already filled out a survey about the election and where the party needs to go now. Trying to put a positive spin on the election, Mulcair pointed out that the 44 seats the NDP won in 2015 is the second-best showing in NDP history. That’s not quite true. The loss is greater that the seat count reveals. As a percentage of the seats in the house of Parliament, it’s actually the third-best showing for the NDP. While Ed Broadbent led the NDP to only 43 seats in 1988, the House of Parliament had just 295 seats. In other words, the NDP won 14.5 per cent of the seats in 1988. Today, there are 338 seats, so the 44 seats the NDP won constitutes 13 per cent of the seats. Mulcair, who is a dual citizen of Canada and France, also criticized the emergency

Government announces $2.65B to help developing countries fight climate change

anada today promised $2.65 billion over the next five years to help developing countries fight climate change. The funding was announced on Friday in Malta, where Commonwealth leaders are meeting. “I’m here today not just to say Canada’s back, but to show it,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the leaders before making the announcement. Under the previous climate deal signed in 2009 in Copenhagen, nations had agreed to commit $100 billion annually in fast-track financing by 2020. The former Conservative government gave $1.2 billion to the fund. The Liberals have now doubled that amount for the next five years: The funding will go toward reducing emissions by financing clean power generation, for example. The contribution announced Friday means Canada has now exceeded the $4 billion target that environmental groups have been urging it to meet as its “fair share,” based on the country’s national wealth. The United Nations Children’s Fund said the contribution helps establish Canada as a global leader in helping vulnerable children in poor countries affected by climate change. “We know that children, particularly the poorest, are disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, a fundamental threat to their most basic rights, including access to food, water, education and survival,” David Morley, UNICEF Canada’s president, said in a statement.

powers the president of France Francois Hollande invoked after the recent massacre that killed 130 people. “It is [Hollande’s] War Measures Act,” Mulcair said. “I strongly disagree with that.” In the wake of the Paris bombings and new calls for enhanced security around the world, Mulcair remains strongly opposed to Canada’s anti-terror law passed under Bill C-51. He wants the Liberal government to revoke it fully, instead of just revamping it as they have promised. “Bill C-51 was an inexcusable attack on Canadian rights and freedoms and we have not changed our view on it at all,” Mulcair said. Mulcair told SiriusXM that the new law was comparable to the laws that allowed the Canadian government to revoke property from Japanese-Canadians during the Second World War and force them into internment camps. But he went even further, comparing the internment camps in Canada to the Nazi concentration camps in Europe. “In the 1940s, the government, a Liberal government, decided to remove the property of Japanese-Canadians and bring them into what can properly considered to be concentration camps,” Mulcair said. He believes the term “internment camps” is a “glossing” over the true reality of the situation, which he called “a stain on our history.” Mulcair later linked the refugee crisis in Syria to the Second World War as well, calling it the worst humanitarian crisis since the 1940s. Still, he has real concerns about the Liberals’ screening plan for taking in 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year and the cost of their program. “It started off with the Liberal government putting aside $100 million for this,” Mulcair said, “but in their own estimate it turns out it will be $1.2 billion, so understandably there are concerns from mayors and premiers as to who will bear that cost.” On Tuesday, the Liberals clarified the cost, setting the number at $678-million over six years,

Saturday, November 28, 2015

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10,000 refugees to be resettled by year’s end as Liberals drop election promises

he Liberal government will not meet its Dec. 31 deadline to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees and now says it aims to complete the program by Fe b r u a r y. The new target is to bring 10,000 people to Canada by year’s end and the remainder in the first two months of 2016. T h e group will be a mix of government-assisted and privately sponsored refugees, all of whom will be identified by the end of next month. The Canadian government is working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as well as the Turkish government to find suitable candidates. Priority for government refugees will be given to complete families, women at risk, members of sexual minorities and single men only if they are identified as gay, bisexual or transgender or are travelling as part of a family. Private sponsors have no restrictions on whom they can bring over and the majority of refugees expected to arrive by the end of the year will be coming via private groups. All health and security screening will take place overseas and once that’s complete, refugees will be flown to Toronto and Montreal, largely on chartered aircraft. Temporary accommodation will be

provided by the military if required, but the government aims to have lodging in place in the host cities and towns.

The federal government cost for the program is an estimated $678 million over the next six years but doesn’t include additional funding that could be necessary for provinces and territories. More than 500 officials have been assigned to work on the massive resettlement program, one of the largest of its kind in the world as it relates to the Syrian refugee crisis. Since the outbreak of the war there in 2011, the UN estimates some 4.2 million people have been displaced. The Liberals first commitment to a large-scale resettlement program during the federal election promised to resettle 25,000 people by the end of the year. That was on top of the ongoing resettlementofSyriansrefugeesthatbeganin2013. Government officials say that those who arrived prior to Nov. 4, 2015 will not be counted as being among the 25,000. Since that date, about 100 Syrians have arrived in Canada.

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CLASSIFIEDS

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Matrimonial

JOBS

Parents looking match for their Canadian 27 year old very handsome, jat sikh boy, 5’9”, graduate , well establisehd businessman. Girl must be well cultured, educated, Canadian citizen or permanent resident . Contact after 6pm 604-598-1987 - 778-387-1672

using woodworking machines, power tools and hand tools; Build exterior doors, interior doors, custom doors with jams; Install hardware such as hinges, handles, catches using hand tools and power tools; Repair doors & replace panels of doors. Job requirement: High school with 2-3 years of experience. Trade certificate will be considered as an asset. If interested send resumes by email at westerndoormanufacturing@gmail. com ------------- September 5, 2015

JOBS Vacancy for In-home Caregiver Balwinder Singh Singhmaar, resident of 15095 92Ave, Surrey, BC V3R 5V8 has a vacancy for Inhome Child caregiver for infant child and 9 years old son. Full Time, $11 / hour, 40 hrs/week. Applicant must have high school with minimum of one year of related experience within last three years or six months of full time training in caregiving. Job Duties includes Supervise and care for children, prepare formulas and change diaper of infant, feeding, bathing, dressing, prepare children for rest period, escort child to school, prepare and serve nutritious meal and snacks, accompany to and from activities & appointments, light housekeeping, laundry, maintain safe environment at home, keep record of day-to-day activities, health and progress of children. Send resumes by email at balwinderssinghmaar@gmail.com -------------- Oct 31 2015

Western door manufacturing Ltd. located at #109-8250 124Street, Surrey BC V3W 3X9, has an immediate vacancy of Carpenter. We design and manufacture high end solid wood exterior doors, solid wood interior doors and custom doors. Full time permanent job position with wages of $25per hour. 35 to 40 hours per week. Job Duties includes Read & interpret drawings & sketches to determine specifications; Estimate height, width, length, & other proportions; Measure, cut, shape, & assemble materials

Jun13_155 Long Haul Truck Drivers Reqd. Sal:$23.00/hr, 40hr/wk, +1yr exp. & Class A 0r 1 license reqd., FT/PT Duties: Operate, drive straight or articulated trucks to transport goods & materials on local routes or over long distances.Plan trip logistics & obtain required documentation to transport goods. Perform pre-trip & post-trip inspection of vehicle systems. Record cargo information, hours of service, distance travelled & fuel consumption.May perform emergency roadside repairs. Lang: English. Work at various location in Canada & USA. Contact: Balwinder from Metro Transport ltd.12772 82nd Ave, Surrey, V3W 3G1 E-mail your resume at metro_transport@yahoo.ca. ------------------------------Jun13_15

1 Optical Frame Fitter Reqd. Sal: $22.00/hr, 40hr/wk, +1yrs exp. or certification reqd., FT/ PT Duties: Obtain specifications for eyeglasses or contact lenses from a prescription. Assist clients in selecting eyeglasses. Grinding & polishing of lenses. Cut & edge lenses & fit lenses into frames. May supervise or manage activities of other opticians. Lang: English. Location: 12841 96 Avenue, Surrey, BC, V3V 6V9 Contact: Imran from Eye See 2020 Optical at opt_eyesee@yahoo.ca. ------------------------------Jun 06_15 Dosa Corner Restaurant

JOBS

Ltd in Vancouver Looking to hire an authentic south indian chef . This is a full time permanent position. $18.50/hr. 40hrs/week. Must have at least 3-5yrs experience in south indian cuisine & specialized knowledge in Dosas. Duties include Prepare & cook meals.kitchen management. Plan menus & quality. Orders food supplies. Mail your resume to selvamm164@ gmail.com or apply by person at DosaCorner Vancouver. 110-8248 Fraser Street. Vancouver. B.C.. V5X 3X6 Ph: 604-324-3672. -----------------------------------Seamstress required Seamstress (Tailor) needed Foam & Décor is looking for Full Time or Part Time Seamstress ( tailor) for drapery in Surrey. Salary will be provided @ 12 per hour. Please call 604-594-1882 Mayuri Indian foods inc is looking to hire an Ethnic Food Cook in Surrey BC. F/T & Perm.$17/hr. Must have at least 2-3 yrs experience in South Indian cuisine & specialized knowledge in Indian spicing. Duties: Prepare & Cook meals; Supervise Kitchen helpers; Plan menus; Ensure quality & determine food proportions; Monitor & order food supplies; Set up & oversee buffets; Manage kitchen operation. Mail resume or apply by person Mayuri indian cuisine , Unit 102A,12677 80th Ave., Surrey BC V3W 3A6 Fax: 604-572-3281 ------------------------------------English Classes for Adults Register for classes September 2-8 For more information,Visit: www. victoryesl.com Call: 604.755.7976 E-mail: victoryesl1@gmail.com ---------------------------Cook Require Curry junction Restaurant in White Rock need cook immediately, This is a full time permanent position for a experienced person, Depending on experience salary will be upto $21 per hr. with other benefits. Call:604-729-6741 or

E JOBS

604-385-1558 ---------------------------Transworld Security located at 2nd Floor, 5050, Kingsway, Burnaby BC V5H 4H2 is looking for a Static Guard, Static Guard Supervisor, Mobile Supervisor and Field Manager. These are permanent full-time positions. Static Guard pay rate is $13.00 per hour plus vacation pay. You would be required to patrol industrial and commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows and gates. Answer alarms and investigate disturbances. Monitor and authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors and guests. Call police or fire departments in cases of emergency. Circulate among visitors, patrons and employees to preserve order and protect property. Static Guard Supervisor pay rate is $14.00 per hour plus vacation pay. You would be required to oversee and supervise Static Guards. You will need to ensure the duties of the Static Guards you supervise are being completed and the client’s needs are being met. Field Manager pay rate is $18.00 per hour plus vacation pay. You would be required to report to the Director of Operations and you are responsible for supporting, mentoring and supervising the security officers in the field. You will be required to manage the company’s field operations and resources after business hours. Mobile Supervisor pay rate is $18.00 per hour. You would be required to provide ongoing leadership, direction and training. You need to ensure all standing orders and scheduled daily activities are carried out for each shift. You will be required to discipline staff when necessary and ensure proper documentation is passed onto head office. You will have to investigate alarm responses and respond in a timely manner. You will

S need to communicate any concerns/issues with Site Supervisor/ Coordinator. The above opportunities suit candidates willing to travel all over the lower mainland and from Squamish to Hope. We also have opportunities in Edmonton, Alberta. Minimum qualification for these positions are completion of secondary school and BST Justice Training of BC. Past experience is preferred but we are willing to train candidates who show eagerness to learn. For more information please visit our website at www.transworldsecurity.ca. Please email you resume to hr@ transworldsecurity.ca. ------------------------------------Retail Sales Supervisor (6211); Saim’s Communication Inc.,Surrey, British Columbia, (6211); Salary: $17:50/Hourly; Positions Available: 2; Type: FullTime; Minimum Education: High School; ,Description : Assign sales workers to duties and prepare work schedules, Authorize payments by cheque and the return ofmerchandise , Sell merchandise to customers, Resolve problems that arise, such as customercomplaints and supply shortages, • Maintain specified inventory and ordermerchandise, Prepare reports regarding sales volumes, merchandising and personnel matters, Hire and train or arrange for the training of new sales staff, Ensure proper tagging, packing and displaying of products, Travel upto four different sites daily and/or weekly as required, Resolve disputes related to customers and employees, Get daily reports from employees and submit report to head office, Meeting with

To PLACE YOUR AD IN THE ASIAN STAR CLASSIFIEDS Section Please

Call: 604-591-5423

COMMUNITY ------------------------------------------------------Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults/ Senior members and non members also to come and play Bingo for the sake of fun and make some new friends, on November 22nd 2015( Sunday ) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall 8321 - 140th street Surrey B.C. Please bring only two dollars with you to play 2 games, do not worry if you do not know how to play, members will explain you the game just for the sake of fun. Tea & light snacks will be served after the game is over. Please contact Surendra Handa Coordinator at 604 - 507 - 9945 for further details. -----------------------------------LCA of BC Celebrates Jalaram Jayanti in Burnaby and Surrey 1. Keshyapbhai Ruparel & Family (Bharat Jewellers) cordially invites all to 216th Jalaram Jayanti celebrations with bhajans and kirtans on Saturday November 21, 2015 at VHP Temple, 3885 Albert Street, Burnaby. Priti Bhojan 5.30pm Bhajan\Satang program 7.00pm For Further Information Please Contact: Kaushikaben Pabari: 604 945 5640 VHP Temple: 604 299 5922 -----------------------------------------------------------Hetsi and Keshvi Vithlani & FAMILY cordially invites all to 216th Jalaram Jayanti Celebrations with Bhajans and Kirtan on Sunday November 22, 2015 at 10.30 am at Laxminarayan Temple, 8321 140th Street, Surrey. Bhajan Program will be Presented by Highly Talented Local Group. Priti Bhojan After Arti. For Further Information Please Contact: Mansukhbhai Thanki (604) 518-1557. ----------------------------------------------------------Secret Asian Super Singer to Support S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Seniors Service S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Multi-Level Care Society Goodwill Ambassador Charity Night will be held at 6:00 pm , Monday, November 2, 2015 at the River Rock Show Theatre, Richmond. The event aims to raise $ 110,000 to support the S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Seniors Care Home expansion and maintenance project. The festivities include a VIP reception, an exclusive dinner, entertainment and fundraising karaoke. The night will feature an acclaimed popular artist from Hong Kong as a secret guest performer. A group of artists from AM1320 will present a mini concert and a Beijing Opera from Sunshine Troupe Association will perform as well. The Honourable Judith Guichon, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and other elected officials will join the event. The Goodwill Ambassador Council is a group of passionate volunteers of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Multi-Level Care Society. Established in 2006, the Council hosts fundraising events every 2 years to support the Society to improve the quality of life for the seniors. Incorporated in 1995, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Multi-Level Care Society was established to provide linguistically and culturally appropriate care for seniors in our community. ------------------------------------------------------South Asian Seniors - Iron Deficiency & Dipression Dr. Pargat Bhurji - Nov. 15th 2015 - 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm. Vedic Senior Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults/ Senior members and also non members

to attend a presentation on - Iron Deficiency & Dipression - by Dr. Pargat Bhurji a Pediatrician and a well known Person in the South Asian Community, on November 15th 2015 ( Sunday ) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple 8321 140th Street Surrey BC. Dr. Pargat Bhurji will answer your health related questions, tea and light snacks will be served after the presentation. Please contact Surendra Handa Coordinator Tel. 604 - 507 - 9945 for further details. -----------------------------------The Global Hindu Foundation with support of SMH will celebrate Diwali -the Festival of Lightson November 9,2015 at Main Cafeteria from 1.00-2.30 PM. The guests will be served with sweets and snacks. This celebration is in the true spirit of multiculturalism and interfaith of Canada. ALL ARE WELCOME. For further information call to Acharya Dwivedi-604 507 3099 or Deepa Sharma 778 388 9024 ------------------------------South Asian Seniors - Clinical Prevention Workshop, 8th Nov. 2015, 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm. Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults/ Senior members as well as non members to attend Clinical Prevention Workshop presented by Dr. Virendra Sharma MD, MPH, Project Coordinator with Fraser Health Authority on November 8th 2015 ( Sunday ) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple 8321 - 140th street Surrey BC. There will be questions & Answers session after the workshop and you can ask questions about Clinical Prevention. Tea and light snacks will be served after the workshop is over. Please contact Surendra Handa Coordinator Tel. 604 - 507 - 9945 for further information. -------------------------------

Public Notice

All foreign governments may deny visa or entry into country on Non-machine readable passports’ with effect from 24.11.2015 because of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s(ICAO) decision to entirely phase out all ‘Non-machine readable passports’ by 24.11.2015. Accordingly, Indian citizens residing in India and abroad with handwritten passports as well as 20 year validity passports, valid beyond 24.11.2015 are advised to apply for re-issue of passports in order to obtain ‘Machine readable passports (MRPs) before 24.11.2015 to avoid any inconveniences in obtaining foreign visa or immigration problem. Schedule of Consular Camps ------------------------------Surrey - 1st November 2015 Col. Darshan Singh Sidhu, Indian Ex-Servicemen Society, Surrey, 201-8212-128 Street, indianexcervicemen@yahoo.com darshansidhu08@gmail.com 6045963327 -----------------------------------Vancouver - 1st November 2015 Mr.Kuldip Thandi, President, Ross St. Gurdwara 6047196800 kdsross@live.com ----------------------------------------Kamloops - 25th October 2015 Mr. Kulwinder Singh Kular, President, Sikh Cultural Society, kal@topdriver.ca Cell:2503768285 ------------------------------------Abbotsford - 8th November 2015

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Mr. Jatinder Singh Gill Recording Secretary, Heritage Gurudwara, Abbotsford Bhajan Singh Toor 6048647700 kds@canadiansikhheritage.ca -------------------------------------------------------------Free English for the Workplace Classes at PICS PICS’ new Project Based Language Training Program (PBLT) is now offering free English classes for the Labour Market. It helps immigrants overcome language barriers that hinder new immigrants’ path to employment. The priority for this project is to attach clients to Labour Market and help them actively seek employment or prepare them to enroll in a training course or move to an enhanced Labour market program. Students will learn and develop soft skills, job search, resume writing, interview skills, networking and much more. To avoid disappointment, please register for classes by calling 604-5967722 ext 138 ASAP. Free Childminding on site. ----------------------------------------------------------Free Community Workshops & Activities November 2–8 Free Drop-In English Conversation Circle for Temporary Foreign Workers Meet new people and give support to your fellow TFW’s. Ask questions about housing, health, and employment concerns. Mondays, 6:30–8:30pm until December 14 MOSAIC Vancouver Community Room, 1720 Grant St 604 254 9626 ext 487 -----------------------------------------Public Speaking Without Panic: Learn Effective Strategies to Communicate with Confidence Learn strategies and techniques for building self-confidence to communicate your ideas and opinions in a group setting. Tuesdays, 6–8pm until November 10 1522 Commercial Drive, Vancouver 604 254 9626 -----------------------------------------------English Conversation Circle for New Westminster Newcomers Wednesdays, 10–11:30am until December 2 Fraserside Community Services Society, 2nd floor, 519–7th St, New Westminster 778 558 9011 Let’s Talk! Support Group for Newcomer Parents Learn about Canadian culture, multicultural parenting, financial literacy, leadership skills and mor Thursdays, 1–2:45pm, until December 3 Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary School, 1714 8th Ave, New Westminster Yumi 604 345 7737 ---------------------------------------------------Seniors Club: Taichi Class Fridays, 9:30–11:30am Brentwood Community Resource Centre, 2055 Rosser Ave, Burnaby 604 292 3908 Crossing the US/Canadian Border November 4, 10am–12pm New Westminster Public Library, 716 6th Ave 604 438 8214 ext 114 ----------------------------------------------Ways to Improve Job Search Skills for \ Work Permit Holders November 7: Creating effective résumés November 28: Different styles of cover letters December 5: Interview skills December 19: Stress management Saturdays, 10:30am–12pm MOSAIC Vancouver Community Room, 1720 Grant St ‘ Lam 604 254 9626 ext 258 ------------------------------------Legal Information Workshop: Employment Standards Learn about your rights in the workplace! The workshop will provide an overview on employee and employer rights and responsibilities, including: the minimum wage, parental leave, work-

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ing hours, filing complaints, holiday pay and more. November 8, 1–3pm MOSAIC Burnaby Centre for Immigrants, 5902 Kingsway 604 438 8214 ext 211 ---------------------------------------------Do You Have a Child with Autism? Free evening presentations in Punjabi Siblings, Parents, Grandparents and Neighbours — all are welcomed to these community events aimed at increasing awareness of the potential of children and adults with autism and the needs of their families for information and support. October 13, 2015 The Individualised Education Plan (IEP)— what the school is supposed to do and how the parent can support the IEP process Speaker: Raminder Kaur, Behaviour Consultant, posAbilities November 17, 2015 Advocacy Tools for Parents— how to help your child get the services they need Speaker: Deborah Pugh, Executive Director, ACT December 1, 2015 One Parent’s Journey in Autism— the important role that family plays in supporting their child with autism Speaker: Sunita Braich, Integration Support Teacher, Surrey School District Details: www.actcommunity.ca/events Organized by ACT’s South Asian Autism Awareness Committee ( ASAAP ) --------------------------------------Want To Be Self Employed? Register with PICS Self- Employment Program PICS is calling all potential entrepreneurs in Delta, Surrey and Burnaby to join their next info session of Self Employment Program on October 14, 2015 at 2:30 PM at PICS Head office in Surrey. Through this program you will learn to develop self-employment skills, business plans, marketing plans. You will also learn how to arrange start-up funding and the best possible ways to manage your cash. What – PICS self-employment program info session When – Wednesday, October 14, 2015, 2:30 PM Where - PICS Head office - #205-1272580th Avenue, Surrey How - Pre-register at deshpal.grewal@pics.bc.ca or sunil.rawat@pics.bc.ca . Or call Mr. Deshpal Grewal at 604-596-7722, Ext 126, or Mr. Sunil Rawat at 604-596-7722, Ext 128. Eligibility –BC Job seekers who are unemployed/underemployed and who have received EI in the past 3 years or Maternity Benefits in the past 5 years. Selected clients may be eligible to receive up to $300 per week for 48 weeks. Hurry seating is limited ! -------------------------------UBC celebrates its centennial anniversary Advanced Education Minister Andrew Wilkinson made the following statement in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the University of British Columbia.“This year marks the 100th anniversary of the University of British Columbia. Government established UBC with the passage of the University Act in 1908, and the university first opened its doors to students in 1915. UBC is the oldest post-secondary institution in British Columbia.“The university welcomed 379 students in its first year. A century later, approximately 60,000 students are enrolled at UBC at its campuses in Vancouver and the Okanagan, with more than 10,000 students graduating in 2014-15. The university is a significant contributor to the B.C. economy with an economic impact of $12.5 billion annually. “UBC has developed a reputation for excellence over the years. It is consistently ranked among the top universities in Cana-

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Saturday, November 28, 2015

Business / Finance

Shipbuilding strategy needs work to get ballooning costs under control, ministers told

he government’s massive $39-billion national shipbuilding procurement strategy (NSPS) is in need of repair, with costs for some projects soaring by as much as 181 per cent and others on the cusp of being cancelled, according to briefing materials prepared for some Liberal ministers. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Public Services Minister Judy Foote were warned the government needed to institute a four-point “action plan” to get the program back on track. They were told budgets set under the procurement strategy process were out of line and “did not adequately account for risks and uncertainty.” As a result, the government would have to “review costing for all NSPS projects and seek funding decisions where budgets are aligned with cost

estimates.” That suggests the $39-billion program could be set to grow even larger, or that parts of it could be cancelled. The briefing material was presented to Sajjan and Foote earlier this month. It was dated November 2015 and was classified secret. It suggested the price for three coast guard science vessels to be built under the government program had ballooned from an estimated $244 million in 2009 to $687 million in 2015, an increase of 181 per cent. That project was awarded to the Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyard. The briefing assigned no blame but suggested there were improvements the B.C.-based shipbuilder could make. v“Vancouver Shipyards needed to find skilled staff, establish capability to increase design work and learn how to use new facilities,” the briefing material said.

Charbonneau commission finds corruption widespread in Quebec’s construction sector

he commission charged with investigating corruption in Quebec’s construction industry has tabled its report, which includes 60 recommendations, including protection for whistleblowers, reforms to political donation rules and stiffer penalties for companies and individuals who break the law. The report was delivered to Liberal Premier Philippe Couillard’s government today and simultaneously released to the public. In her report, Justice France Charbonneau concluded corruption and collusion are “far more widespread than originally believed.” In a prepared address in Montreal, Charbonneau said the commission, which investigated the awarding of government contracts and influence peddling in the construction sector, found that organized crime had indeed infiltrated the industry. She said the government must do everything it can to put a stop to that and protect the legal economy. She said the im-

pact of allowing it to continue would be devastating long term. The 1,741-page report contains 60 recommendations for the Quebec government. The recommendations include: Significant sections of the report have been blacked out because of criminal cases currently before the courts. 4 years of investigation and testimony Jean Charest’s Liberal government launched an inquiry into corruption in Quebec’s construction industry in 2011, in response to mounting pressure, two years after a Radio-Canada investigation into corruption within the province’s biggest construction union touched off a media storm. Today in Quebec City, the province’s Liberal Premier Philippe Couillard said his government will “closely study the recommendations.” He said the problems go beyond the Liberals. “I think it’s the political class in general,” he said. He said his government has acted and will continue to act to crack down on corruption. “The level of vigilance has to remain high,” he said.

U.S. economy grew at 2.1% in Q3, setting stage for interest rate hike

.S. GDP expanded at 2.1 per cent in the third quarterm the Commerce Department reported Tuesday, putting growth at a rate close to its long-run average. That’s an improvement on the 1.5 per cent it initially estimated, reflecting better business investment growth of 3.4 per cent and less inventory stockpiling than previously estimated. • Canadian GDPoutlook slashed to 1.2% with 3 provinces in recession Growth in consumer spending was lowered to three per cent and export growth was revised downward to 0.9 per cent in the quarter, an effect of the strong U.S. dollar. The news comes the same day an advance trade report showed the U.S. trade deficit may have narrowed in October to $58.4 billion from $59.1 billion in September. However, the Conference Board found consumer confidence in the economy eroded this month with the confidence index falling to 90.4 in November, down from 99.1 in October. The drop was a result of

waning confidence in job creation. The mixed bag of economic signals still seems to set the stage for a hike in interest rates by the U.S. Central Bank. Underlying strength Paul Ferley, RBC Economics assistant chief economist, said the U.S. economy is showing a lot of underlying strength. “The maintenance of this solid pace of domestic spending argues in favour of the Fed starting to withdraw some of the currently highly stimulative monetary conditions,” he said in a note to clients. “Our forecast assumes that at the December 16 [Fed] meeting, the Fed will opt to raise the current fed funds range by 25 basis points to 0.25 per cent to 0.50 per cent.” For 2016, economists anticipate the U.S. economy will grow at a modest 2.5 per cent, a more modest rate because of the slowdown in the rest of the world. “The headwinds to growth from reduced investment in the energy sector and the rapidly appreciating dollar should dissipate over the next year, allowing economic growth to pick up modestly to around 2.5 per cent,” said TD senior economist James Marple.

Business / Finance

CIBC CEO says colleges and universities need to turn out more innovative grads

anada’s post-secondary institutions are not producing enough graduates with the right skills to drive future economic growth, warns the head of one of the country’s largest banks. CIBC chief executive Victor Dodig told The Canadian Press in an interview Tuesday that much of the country’s eventual economic success will be generated by entrepreneurs who commercialize new ideas and technologies. And Dodig wasn’t just talking about innovators focused on the high-tech sector. He pointed out that technological breakthroughs also key to the success of traditional industries like manu-

facturing and natural resources. But while Dodig credits Canada with boasting a high overall participation rate in post-secondary education when compared to other industrialized countries, he says the system falls short in the disciplines that will really count down the road. Canada, he added, lags its international peers in training graduates in areas geared for boosting innovation. Those fields include science, engineering and mathematics. “We have gaps — we’re not producing the types of skills that industries need,” Dodig said Tuesday before raising the topic again in a speech to

Black Friday barely shifts Canadian shopping habits

anadian retailers are putting a lot of effort into promoting Black Friday, but according to Statistics Canada, shoppers aren’t likely to have shifted their spending habits. Retailers are extending shopping hours and offering discounts for Black Friday, the day after American Thanksgiving, and a traditional work day for most Canadians, but only a few retailers are expected to benefit. When Statistics Canada looked at retail spending in November, it found the share of annual retail sales in the month edged up only slightly from 2006 to 2014, from 8.4 per cent to 8.5 per cent. December remains the busiest shopping month in Canada, though its share of overall sales has declined in that eight years from 9.9 per cent to 9.3 per cent. Canadians have traditionally expected the best sale prices on Boxing Day or the week after Christmas. Electronics shopping shifts However, a few retail sectors may be winning a larger share of the shopping dollar on Black Friday, Statistics Canada found. Spending on

electronics and appliances, clothing and sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores has grown in November. “The timing of new product releases related to toys, games and hobby supplies (such as electronic games) have increased the portion of total annual retail sales for November,” Statistics Canada said. Clothing and accessories sales, such as winter coats and hats and gloves, traditionally pick up in November because that’s when winter cold sets in in most of the country, the researchers found. Black Friday promotions do seem to be aiming more at electronics and appliances, Statistics Canada concluded. Sales of computer hardware and software as well as telephone and home office electronics, which are often given as gifts, has picked up in November.December’s share of annual sales at electronics and appliance stores decreased from 16.1 per cent in 2006 to 14.5 per cent in 2014, while November’s share increased from 8.9 per cent to 10.1 per cent.

BC Liberals projecting smaller surplus than in last quarter

he province is predicting a smaller surplus than originally forecast — $265 million, which is down $12 million from the previous quarter. The drop is because more money has been spent by government, with not as much coming in to offset the spending. Finance Minister Mike de Jong says BC’s growth is steady and stable but there are troubling economic signs outside our province. de Jong provided an accounting of the provincial finances before meeting later this month with independent economic forecasters ahead of his budget presentation in February.

He says BC’s economic growth is forecast at two per cent this year and 2.4 per cent in 2016, slightly ahead of Canada’s growth projections of two per cent next year. He tells us the province’s strong housing market continues to contribute to government tax coffers and is driving increases in government revenues, as are rising retail sales of more than seven per cent. de Jong adds natural resource revenues are down by $85 million and the government is concerned about economic downturns in Asia, especially Japan.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

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PUNJAB

Saturday, November 28, 2015

No international flights from Chandigarh airport so far

handigarh’s wait for being connected to international destinations like Dubai and Bangkok seems to be getting endless. Even though the international airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi two months ago, there are no signs of the city getting international connectivity. Though the state government, reportedly on the assurances of the Centre, said the city would get its first international flight to Dubai on October 19, it now seems international flights won’t take off from the airport for at least another month. As a result, the airport continues to function like a domestic airport, with 16 flights operating in a day. Though no official date has been announced for international flights to start, Indigo is expected to start its service to Dubai by the end of December. Officials in the state Civil Aviation Department said another airline would be able to start its international flights only in early 2016, as it has a short-

age of aircraft. New aircraft will be added to its fleet then. Sources in the Civil Aviation Department of the state government said two airlines - Indigo and SpiceJet - had reservations about starting international flights because of two reasons. The first being the possibility of the runway being shut down for resurfacing and the second was inadequate air traffic control staff to handle flight operations. At present the existing ATC staff, which belong to the Air Force, cater to their own flying requirements. Additional flights would require more number of air traffic controllers. One of the airlines that were supposed to start a flight from Chandigarh on October 19 did not apply for a parking slot at the Dubai airport for fear that the flight operations would be suspended in case the runway was to be resurfaced. The Ministry of Defense has promised to build a parallel taxi track on additional land, but people are apprehensive whether or not a taxi track was fit enough to handle commercial flights.

Good News!

Gurpurb festivities at Golden Temple

oliest of Sikh shrines Harmandar Sahib in Amritsar and other gurdwaras elsewhere across Punjab and Haryana saw religious fervour as ‘Gurpurab’, the birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev was celebrated last Wednesday. Thousands of devout thronged the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar from early morning to offer prayers. The shrine complex, which did not see any celebrations earlier this month on the occasion of Diwali and ‘Bandi Chorr Diwas’ due to recent incidents of sacrilege of Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib, was illuminated on Tuesday evening to mark Gurpurab eve. There was a security ring around all lead-

Qualified teachers need to take another test to get job

n a shocker to thousands of qualified, but unemployed Punjabi schoolteachers, the Punjab Government has decided to conduct qualifying test even on those aspirants,

Good News!

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who have already passed the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), which, according to the Right to Education Act, 2009, is the standard qualifying exam meant to select teachers for government schools. The Punjab Government has devised this method to fill over 6,000 vacancies of schoolteacher under the Master Cadre (who will teach from Classes VI to X). Even after clearing TET, now teachers will have to clear a qualifying exam in his or her main subject.

Mann challenges Sukhbir to dope test

nder fire from the Akali Dal following allegations that he came drunk to events, AAP MP Bhagwant Mann today hit back and challenged Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal and other leaders to get a dope test done. “Let us have a dope test of all leaders (in Punjab). I will be the first to give my blood for the test. I urge you and other leaders to get a dope test done,” Mann, a well-known comedian-actor, said in a video uploaded on his Facebook page. Throwing a challenge to Sukhbir and other leaders, Mann said: “You must realise that in a dope test, drug abuse of over one year shows up. “Just by getting effigies (of your opponents) burnt by your supporters will not solve anything. Know the ground reality,” Mann said. Mann claimed that Sukhbir was linked to drug abuse on social media. “This is a great opportunity for you. You should get your blood tested and make its report public so that you can clear your name,” he added.

Patiala MP backs actor Aamir Khan on intolerance issues Patiala MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi came down heavily on the BJP government in the Centre and other outfits of the Sangh Parivar for creating an issue and for trying to muzzle the voice of actor Aamir Khan “who just voiced genuine perception of an atmosphere of rising intolerance in the country, a perception shared not only by tens of millions of secular Indians, but also by thousands of eminent personalities from the field of literature, science and the cine world”. Reiterating his earlier statement that there was continuous shrinkage of democratic space in the country in the field of education, art and literature, science and historical research, Gandhi said that there was an overt and covert attempt by the ruling BJP and Sangh Parivar to saffronise various institutions of learning in the country. While there is nothing objectionable in Aamir Khan’s statement, it is rather the provocative and threatening comments by various quarters which paint India as an intolerant nation, he said.

fOOD INDIA

6 i Saturday - April 4, 2015

Saturday, November 28, 2015

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Parliament braces for stormy session

ndia’s parliament is to begin a winter session, where the government will seek to push a key bill on an uniform countrywide goods and services tax. The government wants to implement one of India’s most significant tax reforms since Independence by April 2016. However, the session is likely to be a stormy one, with opposition parties demanding a debate on “growing intolerance” in the country. PM Narendra Modi has appealed to the opposition to help push through bills. The government needs the main opposition Congress party’s support to push through the key goods and services tax (GST) bill in the upper house, where the ruling BJP is in a minority. The Congress party has demanded some changes in the bill. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told the NDTV channel on Wednesday that he had spoken to Congress leaders about the bill and was optimistic that it would be passed. “Most of the parties are supporting the bill. The num-

bers are with the bill. I am optimistic about the bill. I think it will get passed,” he said. Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said the government must reach out to the opposition parties on the GST bill. “Do we want the GST? Are we ready to compromise on GST? Are we ready to talk on GST? Absolutely. Are we going to accept just being thrown aside, no,” Mr Gandhi said. “So we are not trying to stall parliament. We want the GST that suits the country and benefits the country and we are ready to have that conversation without a problem,” he added. Correspondents say opposition parties are also likely to attack the government over growing incidents of intolerance in the country. BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said the government is “willing to discuss all issues including the so called issue of rising intolerance even though the incidents that happened were in the domain of states. We do not support or condone such incidents”.

Women educate ‘ignorant’ Minister Smriti Irani

A chicken (no butter) Masala

Ingredients • 250g boneless chicken • 2tbsp rapeseed oil • 1 medium red onion • 3 large tomatoes • ½ cup cashew nuts • 100g tomato puree • 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves • 100ml low fat cream • 1tsp garam masala • 1tsp red chilli powder • 1tbsp ginger- garlic paste • 2tbsp thick low fat yoghurt • salt to taste

group of female students and ministry which governs schools, colleges women’s activists in the Indian and universities in India. As some in capital, Delhi, have come up with the audiences jeered and booed her, she a unique response to minister Smriti Irani’s feigned surprise: “Are you told? I am sorry. declaration that women in India have com- I am not. My apologies ladies.” Her comments have left many wonderplete freedom to decide what to wear or whom to meet. “In India, I don’t think any ing why she is feigning ignorance about woman here is dictated what to wear, how gender discrimination in India. All across to wear, whom to meet, when to meet... I the country, girls and women are constantam of the opinion, I don’t think anybody is ly told by parents, husbands, in-laws, other Procedure: dictated here, you are not told,” Smriti Irani relatives, neighbours, teachers and hostel Marinate the chicken withYork-based the ginger garlic pastewhat and the for 20 min. soak the cashew in warm water for 15 minutes.chop the onions and tomatoes. Heat 1 tbsp wardens theyyoghurt can - and can’t - wear, said while interacting with New oil to a pan. sear the chicken pieces in the hot oil for 1 minute on each side to a golden colour. remove the chicken pieces. in the same pan, add 1tbsp oil and the chopped or do. In many rural communities in north journalist Tina Brown at the Women in the onions. saute till a translucent pink. Add the tomatoes, red chili powder, garam masala powder and cook on medium flame till the tomatoes are tender (approx. 4-5 India, powerful khap panchayats (village World summit in Delhi last week. minutes). remove from flame and run in a blender with the soaked cashews to make a smooth paste. return to the pan and add the tomato puree. Bring to a boil and add councils) often issue diktats to the tune of Ms Irani, a former television actress, is the chicken pieces. simmer for 4-5 minutes till the chicken is cooked. Add the low fat cream and simmer for 2 minutes. Broil the fenugreek leaves on a pan. crush the telling young women that they can’t wear a high-profile cabinet minister who heads fenugreek leaves over the curry and remove from fire. serve hot. Western clothes, carry mobile phones or the Human Resource Development (HRD) talk to young men.

Your favourite butter chicken but without the butter and added calories!

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Saturday, November 28, 2015

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Saturday, November 28, 2015

Temple makes sari mandatory for foreign women

temple in northern India has asked women. “We get complaints that some forfemale foreign tourists to use a eign tourists come to the temple in indecent sari to “cover themselves and look clothes. We have arranged saris for women decent” before entering the complex. The and also dhotis [traditional wrap-around Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi city clothing] for men to ensure that they can has opened a new counter to provide saris cover themselves decently,” the temple’s chief for women who come in “outfits that end before the knee”. The temple authorities said the new measures had been taken to maintain decency in the temple complex. But they denied that the temple was imposing a formal dress code on Varanasi is one of India’s ancient holy cities

INDIA

Capt Amarinder named Punjab Congress president

ringing to an end speculation of months over the leadership of the Punjab Congress, national party chief Sonia Gandhi on Friday appointed Capt Amarinder Singh president of the state Congress committee. Former Punjab finance minister Lal Singh was appointed senior vice-president, according to a press statement issued by the party. Ambika Soni was appointed chairperson of the party campaign committee for the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections. Sadhu Singh Dharamsot will be vice-chairman and Ravneet Singh Bittu convener of the campaign committee. On Thursday, Partap Singh Bajwa had quit as Punjab Congress president to pave

the way for the long-awaited reshuffle of the party in the poll-bound state. He had submitted his resignation along with Sunil Jakhar, who quit as Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in the Punjab Assembly. The resignations were accepted by Sonia Gandhi the same day. For now, no name has been announced for the post of CLP leader. More appointments in the party state unit are expected soon. Capt Amarinder Singh had rebelled against Bajwa, telling Sonia that she would have to effect changes if she wanted the “Congress to win Punjab”. The Congress had lost the 2012 elections in Punjab despite Rahul naming Capt Amarinder as the party’s CM candidate.

Delhi rape victim’s parents want underage convict to stay in jail

The parents of an Indian woman who was fatally gang raped on a Delhi bus want a teenager convicted of the crime to stay in jail. The parents have appealed to the National Human Rights Commission to stop his release on 15 December. He was convicted for rape and murder, committed when he was aged 17 in December 2012. The Delhi rape caused global outrage and led to reforms in laws governing violence against women. The teenager, who cannot be named because he was a minor at the time of the crime, was sentenced to three

years in a reform facility in August 2013, the maximum term possible for a juvenile. He has denied his involvement, as do four adult men who were sentenced to death for the same attack, by a special fast track trial court. The commission has asked the federal and Delhi state governments to respond to its notice in two weeks. The commission observed that “there was no doubt that the complainants have undergone extreme agony and pain after the incident of rape and murder of their daughter.

NRI

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Rs 55 crore wedding extravaganza, capable of surpassing even the most spectacular Bollywood sets, was unveiled at the Asramam ground in Kollam on Thursday where NRI business magnate Ravi Pillai’s daughter, Dr Arathi, will wed Dr Adithya Vishnu of Kochi. With a net worth of $2.8 billion, Ravi Pillai was ranked first among the richest Keralites in a surThe main entrance of the pandal vey conducted in June. Pillai’s RP Group has a strong presence in Gulf in puram and Kollam districts in connection construction, infrastructure development, with the wedding. A virtual who’s who of mining and education, and has over 80,000 the Gulf and several European countries are employees across 26 companies. expected. The guest list starts with 42 global Though wrapped in secrecy, sources asso- leaders including country heads, CEOs, govciated with the wedding plans said that the ernment reps, politicians, film-stars, technofestivities, planned by the production de- crats and diplomats. T P Seetharaman, amsigner of the multi-lingual top-grosser ‘Ba- bassador of India to the UAE; Sheikh Khalifa hubali’, will showcase dance performances Bin Daij Al Khalifa, president, Crown Prince by Malayalam film actresses Manju Warrier Office, Bahrain; Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalid H and Sobhana, with a musical show conduct- A Al Thani, Royal Family of Qatar; Dr Essam ed by Stephen Devassy before 30,000 guests Abdullah, Saudi Royal Family; and, Lebanese inside a 350,000 sq ft pandal modelled along ambassador Michel El Khoury have conRajasthan royal palaces. The splurge on the firmed attendance. Sources at Thiruvananwedding will also include Rs 10-crore worth thapuram airport said two chartered flights charity initiatives planned in Thiruvanantha- were expected on Thursday.

FIJI Outgoing Police Chief confirms he quit because of interference by military officers in police work

ormer police commissioner Ben Groenewald has issued a statement from South Africa reaffirming his abrupt exit from the force was largely because of military interference in peacetime policing. Groenewald claimed while a Fijian Government statement released on November 10, 2015, stated his resignation was because of personal reasons, more was to do with him not being able to carry out his duties as mandated in Section 129 of the Constitution. “The personal and family reasons mentioned are well known by the Public Service Commission and is related to housing issues. We were accommodated in a Government quarter, infected by mould and declared unfit by the Suva City Council for human occupation,” he said. “Both my wife and I suffered with side effects and nothing was done about it. This was but one of the reasons why I submitted my request for an early release to the Office of the Constitutional Offices Commission.” Responding to claims made by Groenewald, Attorney general and Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said Groenewald told him he left Fiji in very good terms. “My conversation with him was very positive. He said that he is leaving Fiji in very good terms, that he has no ill feelings and that he leaves as a friend of Fiji.

That’s the extent of my knowledge with him,” Sayed-Khaiyum said. Groenewald claimed as the head of the country’s police force, his first priority was to secure the 2014 General Election and to implement organisational and operational changes. “Unfortunately, internal resistance to change, a lack of political support to address critical shortage of resources were some of the obstacles in not achieving all goals,” he claimed. Groenewald claimed Fiji’s past legacy and the reality that the Fiji Police Force was managed by a military officer for more than 10 years, resulted in the force being labelled a brutal force by international and local human rights organisations and Amnesty International. He mentioned several cases which “indicated the unconstitutional involvement of individual military officers as main perpetrators”. He challenged the force to open a criminal investigation and allow an independent and objective investigation against military officers who obstructed the course of justice in the country. Acting RFMF Commander Rear Admiral Viliame Naupoto in an earlier comment refuted claims made by Groenewald. He said the two institutions had been working together to ensure all Fijians were well looked after. Defence Minister, Timoci Natuva declined to comment yesterday, saying he has not seen the statement by Groenewald.

Cell phone turns out to be a bar of soap

olice have warned the public to beware of con artists selling people bars of soap by saying they are mobile phones. Police have received confirmation that several people have paid over $500 for a phone and later discovered they had in fact paid for a bar of soap. Police are requesting the public to be cautious of purchasing items off the street from unknown persons, especial-

ly if they come across an item that would be sold for a much lesser price. According to Police a trend seen now is that a person would show a mobile phone and offers it at a ridiculously discounted price, and once the money has been exchanged they would be given the product neatly packaged. They say upon checking at a later time the phone would be replaced with a bar of soap.

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Minister defends PM’s frequent trips abroad

rime Minister Voreqe Bainimara- and here we are unable to have the honourma’s absence at the national de- able PM, elected by the people to be in the bate for the second year in a row country. It is the Minister for Foreign Afwas clarified in Parliament by the Foreign fairs who can travel anywhere,” Ms DrauniAffairs Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola. dalo said. For that Ratu Inoke highlighted the meetings Mr Bainimarama was He said the Prime Minister was attending included the 2015 United attending to meetings that only Nations Climate Change Conferthe head of Government could ence (COP 21) in Paris. “There is, attend. The issue was brought for our need, of our head of Govup when Opposition member ernment to attend these meetings. Roko Tupou Draunidalo moved For some meetings, only the head of a motion to reduce the Prime Government can attend. I can assure Minister’s overseas budget of Prime Minister that it is necessary for the Prime $1.5million for next year by Voreqe $700,000 which was later defeatBainimarama. Minister to travel.” The motion was moved by SODELPA parliamentaried. “There has been a concern that the PM travels too much and he is not an Salote Radrodro. He said he addressed in the country as much as he should be,” police officers in Lautoka a week ago, explaining to them about the need to abstain Ms Draunidalo said. “It is the second year in a row that he from torture and brutality. “The officers agreed to abstain from toris not here to debate in the budget. The other side, they make a big fuss when we ture and brutality,” Justice Ajmeer said. “Yet within a week, we see a case of such protest and don’t attend things on principle. We are accused on many sort of things brutality.”

Torture & robbery suspects known to police

olice have identified suspects in the alleged beating and torture of Lautoka businessman Rajneel Singh. Spokewoman Ana Naisoro said while there was a breakthrough in the case, details surrounding the identification could not be made public as yet. “As the acting commissioner has stated while the identities of the alleged persons are known, at this stage we cannot release more details as investigations are ongoing,” Ms Naisoro said. Singh alleged he was transported by men he believed to be police officers from the Ba Police Station last Friday afternoon. He claimed he was asked to present himself at the station to make a statement regarding the discovery of sensitive documents outlining a plot to overthrow the Government and remove senior government ministers. Singh alleged he was beaten, tortured and left for dead in a dense forest area in Sigatoka and was rescued by a truck driver early last Saturday. Acting Police Commissioner Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho requested military assistance to transport Mr Singh from Sigatoka to the Lautoka Hospital and who was placed under military guard at the Lautoka Hospital. Brig-Gen Qiliho has directed police officers involved in the alleged beating

be sent home. He said police officers must leave aside all their allegiances — whether it is vanua, religious or political allegiances that could affect their decision-making and the actions they take. Brig-Gen Qiliho said the force did not condone brutality against citizens and it should not happen at any cost. “I have told them (police officers) that I will not condone any such actions and addressing brutality is a holistic approach. There’s no excuse,” Brig-Gen Qiliho said. “As the commissioner now, it is my duty to see it does not happen. We can’t afford to have that happening.” He said if the need arose for police officers to be sent home for brutality-related offences, it would be done. “If I need to take that stand, I will take that stand. “I am known as a straight shooter and I get things right and if it means taking that step, then it has to be taken.” Chairman of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission Mohamed Ajmeer said Government’s agreement to sign the UN Convention against Torture should be respected by the security forces, especially the Fiji Police Force. Justice Ajmeer said the act of brutality by the police was “abhorrent”. He said the case showed that police were not committed to the UN convention.

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ISIS dismisses Lashkar-e-Taiba as puppet of Army “In India, they (al-Qaida) are the allies of the nationalist Kashmir factions whose advances and withdrawals are only by the order of the apostate Pakistani army. In North Africa, they are the allies of Libyan factions who partook in the religion of democracy in the name of Islam,” says the IS post. Lashkar’s denial of any IS role in Kashmir is seen as a reaction to the putdown as also a reflection of a concern that the ‘Caliphate’ may be gaining an increasing number of followers among disaffected youth. The presence of IS flags in demonstrations this year have been noticed by Indian intelligence agencies too.

The discomfiture of jihad groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba with the Islamic State lies in the organization’s contemptuous dismissal of them as al-Qaida allies who are puppets in the hands of the Pakistan army which itself is an “apostate”, and therefore, illegitimate force. In its online magazine ‘Dabiq’, the IS runs down LeT and some other anti-India groups active in Jammu & Kashmir for a stop-start war that is inconsistent as it is dependent on the instructions of the Pakistan army instead of being relentless and unsparing in attacking enemies.

Gov’t turns down Afghan proposal for throughway to India

akistan gov’t has turned down Afghan proposal for a throughway to India via Wagah border, showing that mutual distrust was holding back progress on key trade talks between the two neighbours. During the 10th session of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Economic Commission here yesterday, finance minister Ishaq Dar and his Afghan counterpart Eklil Ahmad Hakimi could only agree on a new

framework to complete already agreed upon bilateral economic goals without achieving a breakthrough on border access, the Express Tribune reported. Officials in the Economic Affairs Division said Kabul had sought access to New Delhi for its trucks via the Wagah-Attari border crossing. But Islamabad denied the request, citing security issues. In response, Afghanistan declined Pakistan’s request for access to Tajikistan’s border.

Prime Minister Sharif urged to suspend execution of paraplegic convict

rime Minister Nawaz Sharif was urged to suspend the execution of a paraplegic death-row convict scheduled to be hanged on Wednesday, the media reported on Tuesday. Abdul Basit, 43, who is paralysed from the waist down, a former administrator at a medical college, was convicted in May 2009 of the murder of the uncle of a woman with whom he was allegedly in a relationship. He has denied the charges. In a letter addressed to Sharif, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) chairperson Zohra Yusuf said that the prison authorities were still awaiting a response after writing to

the federal government for guidance on how to proceed in the case, Dawn online reported.

Magnitude 5.9 earthquake rocks Pakistan, Afghanistan and north India

5.9-magnitude quake struck northern Afghanistan late Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, jolting Delhi and parts of Pakistan according to local reports. The tremor struck 22 kilometres (14 miles) southwest of Ashkasham, 300 kilometres northeast of the Afghan capital Kabul, at a depth of 92.4 kilometres. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The quake, which occurred at 2.16am local time (1816 GMT), was felt across northern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan and Delhi. In October a 7.5-magnitude quake ripped across Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing almost 400 people and flattening buildings in rugged terrain that impeded relief efforts. For many in Pakistan, October’s quake brought back trau-

Pakistani fighter jet crashes killing female pilot A Pakistan Air Force pilot was killed when her trainer jet crashed near the central town of Mianwali, the first such loss for the country’s community of female pilots. The crash happened during routine operational flight training, the air force said in a statement. Second pilot Squadron leader Saqib Abbasi survived, he and flying officer Marium Mukhtiar (pictured) were on a routine operational training mission when it encountered a serious in-flight

Factory torched over ‘blasphemy’

mob set a factory on fire in Pakistan’s Jhelum district following blasphemy allegations against one of its employees who belongs to the minority Ahmadi community. According to police, hundreds of people surrounded the chipboard factory in Jhelum and set it on fire on Friday after reports that an employee named Qamar Ahmad Tahir had allegedly burnt the Quran. “The inci-

matic memories of a 7.6-magnitude quake that struck in October 2005, killing more than 75,000 people and displacing some 3.5 million.

dent took place after we arrested the head of security at the factory, Qamar Ahmad Tahir, for complaints that he ordered burning of the copies of the Holy Quran,” Adnan Malik, a senior police official said. “We registered a blasphemy case against Tahir, who is Ahmadi by faith, and arrested him after confiscating the burnt material which also included copies of the Holy Quran,” Malik added.

emergency during the final stages of the mission,” the air force said. “Ensuring safety of life and property of civilian population on ground, both the pilots ejected and the aircraft crashed near Kundian, Mianwali.” Marium Mukhtiar is the first female pilot of the Pakistan air force to be killed while on duty. The air force had 19 women pilots in 2013. In May, a military helicopter carrying diplomats to inspect a tourism project crashed, killing seven people, including the ambassadors of Norway and Philippines. In August, another military helicopter being used as an air ambulance crashed near the northern district of Mansehra, killing 12 people.

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SOUTH ASIA

Pakistan, Nepal call for dialogue to improve relations with India

akistan and Nepal on Wednesday called for “dialogue” to improve mutual relations, with Pakistan calling for a revival of the composite framework and Nepal hoping that “tension” over the promulgation of constitution would dissipate and give way to better ties. Pakistani High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit said that a stable and effective regional cooperative architecture was not possible on shaky inter-state relations. He laid stress on the need for talks to achieve peace. Basit and Deep Kumar Upadhyay Nepal’s Ambassador to India were speaking at a seminar on Indo-Pak relations organised by NGO Ambassadors of Goodwill Across Borders here. “In order to achieve peace we need to talk to each other. It’s important that we talk so as to overcome the challenges. We need not reinvent the wheel. The composite dialogue framework is all encompassing and includes everything

such as terrorism, Kashmir, Sir Creek,” Basit said. The Pakistani High Commissioner insisted that in his capacity he was doing everything necessary to “make this happen”. “We owe it to posterity to resolve our disputes and leave a legacy of peace and friendship.” Meanwhile, speaking on the same theme, Upadhyay observed that Nepal has “never been colonised” in its history, without making any direct reference to India’s role in the ongoing crisis situation in the Himalayan country. “There are issues even within a family. In the same way, there is tension between the governments of the two countries (India and Nepal) at the moment,” he said. Referring to the April 2015 earthquake in Nepal, which devastated parts of the country, Upadhyay said that “warmth” exuded by the people of both the nations in the aftermath of the quake gives him hope for better times ahead.

Sri Lanka lifts ban on pro-LTTE groups; wants them to shun violence

verification. Many of the listed ri Lanka said it has lifted a groups had never condoned ban imposed on eight Tamviolence or terrorism. Some il diaspora groups for their links of the proscribed individuals with the LTTE as part of efforts were even dead at the time of to reconcile with the ethnic miproscription including one nority community and asked the who died eight years prior to remaining ones to renounce septhe proscription,” the ministry aratism and violence. “We hope said. It also said that over the that other groups and individuals last six months, law enforcemake similar public commitment and intelligence agencies Sri Lanka asked groups link ments condemning violence and to LTTE to renounce violence have conducted a comprehenrenouncing separatism in addiand separatism sive and careful review of the tion to other necessary measures,” proscribed organisations and Foreign Ministry said today. “Then they too individuals. “The review process concluded can be considered for de-proscription and that there was no intelligence or evidence justijoin other formerly proscribed organisations, fying the listing of eight organisations and 267 both in the North and South, who have successfully entered the democratic mainstream persons. As a result of this review, our law enand are now working for the betterment of forcement and intelligence services are now Sri Lanka,” it said. “The initial proscription able to target their resources more efficientprocess was conducted in haste and was not ly and focus their energy on genuine threats subject to a rigorous process of assessment and improving the security of all Sri Lankans.

Islamic State claims responsibility for Bangladesh mosque attack

slamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack on a Shia Muslim mosque in Bangladesh on Thursday, in which a cleric was killed and three other people were wounded. In the second attack on the country’s tiny Shia community in a month, witnesses said three young men stormed into the mosque in the north-western Bogra district and shot at worshippers indiscriminately during prayers. “The attackers entered the mosque and opened fire on the devotees after locking the main gate and then fled immediately after the shooting,” said a police official, Ahsan Habib. Two people from nearby villages have been detained for questioning about the attack, another police officer said. The monitoring ser-

vice Site said Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the attack, just as it did for the previous bombing on the biggest Shia shrine in the country.

Bangladesh on high alert after 2 opposition leaders executed

angladesh is on high alert on Monday after executing two opposition leaders for war crimes during the country’s 1971 independence war, despite threats of violence by their supporters and international concerns that the legal proceedings were flawed. A reporter was shot and wounded on Sunday after covering the funeral of one of the men, though it was not clear who was responsible. On Monday, paramilitary border guards and thousands of other security officials were patrolling cities including the capital, Dhaka, in an effort to prevent any violence as the South Asian country’s main Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, called for a nationwide strike. The party is protesting the hanging on Sunday of its general secretary, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, and Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury. Mujahid had been found guilty on charges of genocide, conspiracy in killing intellectuals, torture and abduction during the South Asian nation’s independence war against Pakistan, while Chowdhury was convicted on charges of torture, rape and genocide.

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