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Issue No : 21 

Email: editor@canadianparvasi.com Contact Number : 905-673-0600 November 17, 2017 | Pages 24 

50018836

The International News Weekly REGIONAL 

02 

November 17, 2017 | Toronto 

TIFF to debate sexual 

harassment in film 

industry 

Agencies 

TORONTO: The organization behind the Toronto 

International Film Festival is planning 

a panel discussion on sexual harassment and 

abuse in the industry. 

The event on Dec. 1 at TIFF Bell Lightbox 

will feature a chat with filmmakers and industry 

representatives. 

Organizers say the panel will explore the 

first steps in creating a safer working environment 

for people within the film sector. 

Guest speakers will include Theresa 

Tova, the president of the Toronto chapter of 

the Canadian performers' union, ACTRA. 

Also scheduled to speak are representatives 

from the Canadian Media Producers Association, 

Prospero Pictures, and the Directors 

Guild of Canada. The panel is part of the 

Breakfast at TIFF series. 

"We are committed to providing a safe 

and welcoming environment in which staff, 

guests, volunteers and visitors are free from 

any form of harassment or discrimination," 

TIFF said Thursday in a statement. 

"We commit to open communication with 

all members of our community, so that they 

may speak up without fear." 

TIFF says it also plans to take part in an 

industry meeting of key stakeholders to be 

hosted by ACTRA on Nov. 23 in Toronto. 

Hotstar, Your ticket to the best of Indian 

Entertainment is now available in Canada 

TORONTO: Hotstar, India’s 

largest premium streaming 

platform synonymous for 

changing the landscape of 

digital content consumption 

in India, is now available in 

Canada. 

Hotstar will treat users 

in Canada to a highly 

evolved video streaming 

experience and attention to 

quality while they enjoy the 

best of Indian entertainment 

from everyone’s favourite 

Star TV channels. 

Hotstar is your ticket to 

India’s leading TV shows, 

movies and sports available 

in 8 languages. 

In line with its offering 

to watch your favourite content 

on demand anywhere, 

anytime, Hotstar is available 

across a variety of devices 

and on platforms like 

the Apple Store, Google play 

store, Roku and Amazon fire 

stick. 

Apart from showcasing 

the content from Star’s leading 

channels like Star Plus, 

Star Bharat, Star Gold in 

Hindi and Star Jalsha, Star 

Maa, Star Vijay and Asianet 

amongst the regional languages, 

the streaming platform 

also has a line-up of 

original shows like Sarabhai 

vs Sarabhai, AIB and 

Tanhaiyan amongst others. 

What is perhaps the biggest 

draw for all sporting enthusiasts 

is the upcoming Indian 

Premier League. With 

Star India’s winning bid 

for the IPL, Hotstar will be 

home to the world’s greatest 

cricket spectacle come April 

with fans having the benefit 

of watching cricket across 

multiple languages. 

With all its content in 

High Definition, Hotstar is 

for the Indian who is seeking 

premium Indian entertainment 

at world class quality. 

Taking pride in your identity 

and recognizing the diversity 

that enriches your individuality 

is the message that 

Hotstar is giving through its 

brand positioning- For who 

you are. 

Hotstar membership offers 

full and unlimited access 

to more than 2000 movies 

and TV shows across 8 

languages with over 60,000 

hours of content, from popular 

Star channels, all ad-free 

in High Definition. 

Movie buffs get the latest 

movies on offer such as 

Judwaa 2 and Jolly LLB as 

well as blockbusters such 

as Pink, Bajrangi Bhaijan, 

Phillauri, Housefull 3, Prem 

Rattan Dhan Payo and Zindigi 

Na Milegi Dobara. Hotstar 

also has the latest and most 

popular movies in Tamil, 

Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, 

Bengali and Marathi 

languages. 

Catch content that you 

won’t see anywhere on television, 

Hotstar Originals includes 

a variety of exclusive 

content for Hotstar. It ranges 

from the most talked about 

stand up group AIB to your 

favorite characters from 

Sarabhai vs Sarabhai 2, cinematic 

renditions of leading 

plays and much more. 

Top content on Hotstar: 

Shows: Yeh Rishta Kya 

Kehlata Hai, The Great Indian 

Laughter Challenge, 

Ye Hai Mohabbatein, Dance 

Champions, Ishqbaaaz, Tu 

Sooraj Main Saanjh, Piyaji 

and Naamkarann 

Movies: A Gentleman, Jolly 

LLB 2, Golmaal 3, Baahubali 

2: The Conclusion and 2 

States 

Sports: Cricket – India vs 

Sri Lanka series, Indian 

Premier League (Upcoming) 

and Pro Kabaddi League 

18-month jail for sexually abusing daughters 

Agencies 

HALIFAX: A 55-year-old 

Nova Scotia man has been 

sentenced to 18 months in 

jail for sexually abusing 

his two young daughters 

over a 10-year period. 

A Nova Scotia Supreme 

Court ruling released 

Tuesday says the incidents, 

which occurred between 

1990 and 1999, only 

came to light when the oldest 

daughter reported her 

experiences during counselling. 

The accused pleaded 

guilty to two charges of 

sexual interference. 

The written decision by 

Justice Mona Lynch says 

the man started touching 

his older daughter for a 

sexual purpose when she 

was two-and-a-half years 

old, with the prosecution 

estimating he abused her 

at least 50 times over that 

period. 

Lynch says the father 

threatened the girl by telling 

her the family would 

break up if she told anyone 

— a responsibility Lynch 

says "should not have been 

put on a child." 

The abuse stopped and 

then the man began touching 

his younger daughter, 

who was three-years-old. 

The man's wife and 

mother both knew about 

the abuse after the man 

told them he had stopped, 

and the decision says he 

didn't touch his children 

or anyone else "as far as we 

know, for over 17 years." 

Lynch said the blame 

solely lies with the accused. 

"There is no sentence 

that I can give that would 

give the older daughter 

and the younger daughter 

back what was taken from 

them," Lynch wrote. 

"They are in no way 

to blame. They were innocent 

children." 

Markham mayor opposes holiday change 

The Canadian Press 

MARKHAM: Mayor Frank 

Scarpitti will not support proposed 

exemptions by York 

Region to the Retail Holidays 

Business Act, which would 

allow all retail businesses to 

operate during statutory holidays, 

except for Christmas 

Day. 

“They are making this 

decision without any input 

from the residents, businesses 

and retail employees,” 

says Mayor Frank Scarpitti 

in a press release. 

“I would like to see region-wide 

public consultations 

on this.” 

Markham City Council 

passed motion on November 

14, voicing objection to the 

proposed changes. 

“I am proud Markham 

Council voted against this 

proposal. It has been a tradition 

in the province of Ontario 

to have workers enjoy 

those days off,” the mayor 

said. “I think retail workers 

should be entitled to the same 

time off that the rest of us enjoy, 

there are only nine days 

a year when people can pause 

and enjoy time with family 

and friends.” 

Statutory holidays are sacred 

events in the calendars 

of Canadians, the mayor said 

in his press release. 

Responding to public 

calls, the provincial government 

recently added an additional 

statutory holiday, 

Family Day, to give relief to 

Ontario workers. 

Should all retail businesses 

open on statutory 

holidays? Mayor Scarpitti is 

encouraging retail employees 

to contact your Member 

of Regional Council and voice 

your opinion on the proposed 

changes. 

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Issue No : 21 

Email: editor@canadianparvasi.com Contact Number : 905-673-0600 November 17, 2017 | Pages 24 

Reena Virk's 20th 

death anniversary 

marked with tears 

Auto insurance premiums in 905 to be 

restructured, says finance minister 

Agencies 

SAANICH (B.C): Reena Virk 

struggled to understand why 

people considered her different 

and a target for school bullies, 

her father said Tuesday at a 

memorial to mark the 20th 

anniversary of the Victoria 

teenager's death. 

Continued on page 06 

The Canadian Parvasi 

MISSISSAUGA: Ontario 

finance minister Charles Sousa 

has justified hike in minimum 

wages and promised to lower 

auto insurance rates in the 905 

region. 

In an interview with Parvasi 

Radio, the minister admitted 

that auto insurance rates in 

the 905 region were still very 

high despite many changes and 

promised restructuring to lower 

premiums. 

Speaking about the reduction 

in corporate tax that kicks in 

from January, Sousa said the 

Liberal government wants 

Loblaw launching home 

delivery, closing 22 stores 

to support small businesses 

because "they are the ones who 

are hiring.’’ 

He said the net new 800,000 

jobs in Ontario since the 

recession have primarily been 

Striking teachers reject 

offer, strike to continue 

created by private businesses. 

The government has lowered 

taxes for them "to ensure that 

they succeed and continue to 

prosper.’’ 

Apart from cut in corporate 

tax, the minister said the 

government was giving 

incentives to small businesses to 

the tune of $2,000 to hire young 

people. 

Moreover, he added, "we 

are also providing support for 

apprentices up to $19,000 per 

individual for the employer and 

continue to cut red tape... in 

total, there is $1.9 billion support 

for small businesses.'' 


Low air fares coming 

as Canada Jetlines 

set for launch 

Agencies 

BRAMPTON: Loblaw 

Companies Ltd. says it has 

finalized a plan that will 

result in the closure of 22 

unprofitable stores across 

a range of its banners and 

formats. 

The decision comes as 

the retailer plans to bring 

home delivery services to 

two of the country's biggest 

cities in the next several 

months. 

Loblaw is partnering 

with California-based Instacart 

to deliver food and 

other pantry staples from 

Loblaws, Real Canadian 

Superstore, and T&T locations 

to customers in 

Toronto starting Dec. 6 

and Vancouver starting in 

January. 


Rs 5-crore bounty on heads 

of Deepika, Bhansali 

Agencies 

LUCKNOW: A Meerut 

resident from the Kshatriya 

community on Thursday 

announced a bounty of 

Rs 5 crore on the heads of 

film director Sanjay Leela 

Bhansali and actor Deepika 

Padukone for 


Agencies 

TORONTO: Ontario's striking 

college faculty voted Thursday to 

reject a contract offer and continue 

their nearly five-week job action. 

The 12,000 college professors, 

instructors, counsellors, and librarians 

have been off the job 

since Oct. 15, leaving some 500,000 

students out of class. 

Talks between the colleges and 

the union broke down on Nov. 4, 

prompting the colleges to request 

the final offer vote. After 86 per 

cent of faculty rejected it, Ontario 

Premier Kathleen Wynne said 

she would meet with college and 

union representatives Thursday 

afternoon "to discuss how we can 

resolve this situation immediately 

and get students back to class 

where they belong." 


Agencies 

MONTREAL: The ultra low-cost airline 

battle is heating up as fledgling airline 

Canada Jetlines prepares to take on 

WestJet's efforts to regain its mantle as 

the country's low-cost leader. 

The upstart airline's chief executive 

told an investor conference Tuesday that 

WestJet's discount brand Swoop won't 

be able to match its low costs, which will 

allow prices to average at less than $100. 

"This country needs low fares. No 

doubt about it," Stan Ganek told the Scotiabank 

transportation and aerospace 

conference. 

But he said WestJet's creation of a 

Swoop division just won't cut it. 


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The International News Weekly REGIONAL 

November 17, 2017 | Toronto 04 

Angelina Jolie says UN should 

stop sexual violence in war 


VANCOUVER: Angelina 

Jolie delivered a stinging 

rebuke Wednesday of global 

efforts to stop the use of 

sexual violence in war and 

called on the UN to finally 

help turn the tide. 

The Academy Awardwinning 

actress was addressing 

foreign dignitaries 

and military officials 

attending the two-day United 

Nations peacekeeping 

summit, where the role of 

women in preventing conflict 

figured prominently. 

The meeting also saw 

a renewed push to prevent 

the use of child soldiers 

and better protect children 

caught in conflict, as attendees 

unveiled a series of 

commitments signed by 53 

countries. 

Canada played a key 

role in advancing both conversations 

as host of the 

meeting and by pledging 

$21 million to increase the 

number and role of women 

in peacekeeping missions 

and military operations. 

The pledge was made 

amid a growing recognition 

that female personnel 

are essential when it 

comes to many peacekeeping 

tasks, such as helping 

victims of sexual violence 

and interacting with local 

women in the field. 

It also coincides with 

ongoing concerns about 

peacekeepers themselves 

sexually abusing or exploiting 

the very populations 

they have been ordered to 

protect. 

Yet only 7 per cent of 

the 13,000 police officers deployed 

as peacekeepers and 

two per cent of the 87,000 

military personnel are 

women, and those numbers 

have remained stagnant 

despite promises to double 

them. 

During her address, Jolie, 

who is also a special envoy 

for the UN High Commissioner 

for Refugees, 

listed the many promises, 

laws and resolutions that 

have failed to eliminate 

sexual violence from war. 

And she didn't pull any 

punches as she blasted the 

UN's failure to increase 

the number of female 

Low air fares coming as Canada 

Jetlines set for launch 

Continued from page 03 

"We all know that's going 

to be a temporary measure 

and then when the 

competition is wiped out, 

guess what, the airfares 

go right back up again. So 

who's kidding whom?" 

Gadek said Canada Jetlines 

will minimize costs by 

outsourcing everything but 

pilots and flight attendants. 

Tickets will only be available 

on the internet, which 

dramatically cuts distribution 

costs. 

That will enable the 

airline to fill its planes and 

make a profit on each departure. 

By contrast, he said 

Swoop will be fighting internal 

resistance from people 

who are used to doing things 

a certain way, along with 

higher costs. 

"There's one objective 

that Swoop has and that's to 

eliminate competition," he 

told analysts. 

"It's not about bringing 

lower fares to Canada. It's 

not about creating more 

travel opportunities for Canadians. 

That's baloney." 

He said Canada Jetlines 

is prepared for a fight with 

WestJet (TSX:WJA) and is 

prepared to take it to task 

for uncompetitive actions, 

as WestJet did when it took 

on Air Canada in 1996. 

WestJet countered that 

it will remain very aggressive 

in defending its market 

share. "Our DNA is low-cost 

DNA and we're not going to 

let somebody else come in 

and take a chunk of the market 

without them having to 

fight us for it," CEO Gregg 

Saretsky told the conference. 

He added that Canada 

hasn't historically supported 

more than the equivalent 

of 2.5 airlines. 

Saretsky said the plans 

for three new startups including 

Flair Airlines and 

Canada Jetlines, along 

with Swoop and Air Canada 

Rouge, will make for a 

crowded market. "With one 

ULCC already flying (Flair) 

and two seeking capitalization 

to start, that's about twoand-a-half 

times more than 

the country can support." 

Saretsky added that West- 

Jet won't make Air Canada's 

(TSX:AC) mistakes in 

launching Rouge in 2013 by 

ensuring passengers don't 

get any nasty surprises. 

Flights will be booked 

on a separate website, 

check-in will be at a separate 

Swoop airport counter 

and the uniforms will be a 

different colour. Air Canada 

chief financial officer Michael 

Rousseau also told the 

conference that the country's 

largest airline is watching 

the battle closely and is 

prepared to expand Rouge to 

compete, if required. 

Ganek countered that 

there is enough demand in 

Canada to support 17 million 

passengers flying ultra low 

cost by 2023. That assumes 

a lower market penetration 

than has been achieved in 

Europe or the U.S. He also 

said he has received interest 

from significant undisclosed 

airline investors 

outside Canada to get the 

airline flying on June 1. The 

initial focus is foreign capital 

due to a lack of risk capital 

in Canada, while Europe 

and the United States have 

experience with the low-cost 

business model, he said. 

The federal government 

has given the airline an exemption 

from foreign ownership 

rules that will allow 

it to have 49-per-cent foreign 

ownership with no single 

investor having more than a 

25 per cent stake. 

Canada Jetlines plans to 

start operations from Hamilton, 

Ont., and will add Abbotsford, 

B.C., in 2019 and 

hopes to fly out of Montreal 

down the road. It will initially 

fly four Boeing 737s, adding 

four annually to reach 24 

planes by 2023. 

peacekeepers deployed on 

missions, or its efforts to 

stop peacekeepers from 

sexually abusing vulnerable 

populations. 

"It has 21 years since 

the UN first promised to 

address sexual abuse by 

UN peacekeepers and to 

increase the number of 

women deployed in operations," 

she said. 

"Yet the exploitation of 

defenceless civilians still 

takes place. And still less 

than four per cent of all 

peacekeepers are women." 

But there was also an 

acknowledgment that a 

cultural shift is afoot, with 

Jolie saying that many 

military leaders have 

started "to address the taboos 

around these issues 

and to take action." 

Canada along with the 

United Kingdom and Bangladesh 

were singled out 

for special mention for 

promising to work together 

to increase the number 

of women and better incorporate 

gender perspectives 

in their militaries. 

That initiative was 

only one of several unveiled 

by the Trudeau government 

on Wednesday, 

along with a pledge of $21 

million to boost the number 

of women in peacekeeping 

operations around 

the world. 

The money included 

$6 million to help with reforms 

at the UN and $15 

million for a new trust 

fund that will be used to 

help countries increase the 

number of women in their 

respective militaries. 

The money could be 

used to facilitate partnerships 

with other countries 

that already boast sizable 

female contingents, and 

provide incentives to increase 

the deployment of 

women into the field. 

Several European 

countries also pledged 

to dramatically increase 

the number of female soldiers 

and police officers 

assigned to peacekeeping 

missions. 

"I hope they are just the 

beginning," Jolie said. "We 

will not only strengthen 

our societies and improve 

peacekeeping." 

Toronto cop who killed 

teen arrested for 

breaching bail terms 

Agencies 

TORONTO: A Toronto 

police officer convicted of 

attempted murder in the fatal 

shooting of a teen on an 

empty streetcar four years 

ago was charged Wednesday 

with breaching his bail 

conditions. 

Ontario's police watchdog 

said Const. James 

Forcillo — who has been 

on bail as he appeals his 

conviction — was accused 

of breaching the conditions 

related to his house arrest, 

but gave no other details 

about the case. 

Toronto police said 

Forcillo was charged with 

failing to comply with recognizance. 

Forcillo's lawyer, 

Peter Brauti, said a bail 

hearing on the new charge 

was put over to Friday. 

Forcillo had his bail 

conditions extended in late 

September, a day before he 

was set to appeal his conviction 

in the 2013 death of 

Sammy Yatim. 

Yatim's killing set off a 

wave of public outrage and 

protests after a video of the 

shooting went viral. The 

judge overseeing Forcillo's 

trial called the video "powerful 

evidence" that what 

the officer said happened 

that night did not actually 

occur. 

Ontario Superior Court 

Justice Edward Then found 

Forcillo had abused his authority 

in a manner that 

undermined public trust in 

law enforcement and the 

justice system. 

Forcillo was found 

guilty last year of attempted 

murder but was acquitted 

of the more serious charge 

of second-degree murder for 

shooting 18-year-old Yatim 

multiple times. He was sentenced 

to six years behind 

bars, a year more than the 

mandatory minimum. 

He has since asked the 

appeal court to substitute a 

not-guilty verdict or order 

a new trial in his case, arguing 

Then was wrong to 

exclude evidence meant to 

suggest Yatim was trying 

to commit "suicide by cop," 

where a person behaves 

threateningly in order to 

trigger a lethal response 

from law enforcement. 

Forcillo's lawyers have 

also alleged Then erred in 

instructing jurors to view 

two volleys of bullets fired 

by Forcillo as separate incidents, 

and to consider the 

charge of attempted murder. 

They argue that opened 

the door for a compromise 

verdict, where jurors find 

someone guilty of a lesser 

charge rather than convicting 

of a more serious one or 

acquitting them entirely. 

Forcillo is also seeking 

a declaration that the mandatory 

minimum sentence 

for attempted murder 

is unconstitutional, and 

wants to be granted a suspended 

sentence. Barring 

that, he wants his sentence 

reduced to the minimum 

five years.

The International News Weekly CANADA 

05 


Peel Police arrest six for residential burglaries 

The Canadian Parvasi 

BRAMPTON: Peel Police have arrested 

six males as a result of an ongoing 

investigation into residential 

break and enters. 

They were arrested as part of 

Project Red-Sag which began in 

September to focus on break and 

enters in Mississauga, Brampton 

and the GTA. 

Police said the group was actively 

committing residential 

break and enters throughout the 

Greater Toronto Area and target 

jewelry, cash and other valuables 

in residences. 

The suspects were arrested 

while committing day-time break 

and enters in Oakville. Stolen property 

was recovered from them and 

returned to rightful owners. 

Police said Kejel Campbell, 

27, of Brampton, was arrested on 

November 8 and charged with 

two counts of Possession Property 

Obtained by Crime, two counts of 

Break, Enter and Commit an Indictable 

Offence and nine counts of 

Fail to Comply with Recognizance. 

Dakota Cushing, 18, of Mississauga 

was arrested on November 8 

and charged with Possession Property 

Obtained by Crime, two counts 

of Break, Enter and Commit an Indictable 

Offence and Possession of 

a Controlled Substance. 

Rhjeed Russell, 26, of Brampton 

was arrested on November 8 and 

charged with Possession Property 

Obtained by Crime, two counts of 


Offence, two counts of Possession 

of a Controlled Substance 

and Operation While Disqualified. 

Karran Singh, 42, from Brampton 

was arrested on November 

14 and charged with Possession 

Property Obtained by Crime and 


Offence. He was released 

on a Promise to Appear in court 

on December 15. 

Police said a 16- year-old male 

of no fixed address was arrested 

on November 8 and charged with 

two counts of Possession Property 

Obtained by Crime, three counts 

of Break, Enter and Commit and 

Indictable Offence and Possession 

Break In Instruments. 

Another 17 year-old male 

from Mississauga was arrested 

on November 10 and charged 

with Possession Property Obtained 

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Striking teachers reject offer, strike to continue 


"Students have been in 

the middle of this strike for 

too long and it's not fair," she 

wrote in a statement. "We 

are looking at all of our options, 

but I am hopeful that an 

agreement to return students 

to class immediately can be 

reached by the parties." 

The Ontario Public Service 

Employees Union, which 

represents the workers, had 

recommended the colleges' 

contract proposal be rejected. 

The colleges have said 

the offer includes a 7.75 per 

cent salary increase over four 

years, improved benefits and 

measures to address concerns 

regarding part-time faculty, 

with language surrounding 

academic freedom remaining 

as the only major outstanding 

issue. 

But the union said the offer 

contained "serious concessions" 

that were not agreed 

to, which would erode faculty 

rights and contribute to an 

unsustainable staffing model. 

"No one is surprised that 

college faculty rejected the 

(College Employer) Council's 

forced offer," union bargaining 

team head JP Hornick 

said in a statement. 

The union called on the 

colleges to return to the bargaining 

table Thursday afternoon. 

OPSEU President Warren 

(Smokey) Thomas said 

the forced vote was a "bully 

move" by the colleges. 

"At a time when we were 

only a few steps away from 

getting a deal, they overplayed 

their hand," he said in 

a statement. 

The head of the colleges' 

bargaining team said it will 

be looking to the provincially 

appointed mediator for direction 

now. 

"This is a terrible result 

for the 500,000 students who 

remain out of class," Sonia Del 

Missier said in a statement. "I 

completely sympathize with 

our students who have been 

caught in this strike for more 

than four weeks." 

The provincial government 

has ordered the colleges 

to create a fund — using savings 

from the strike — to help 

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Advanced Education Minister 

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Law firm Charney Lawyers 

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17_10_16_10GB50_Connexions_Pravasi_5x7_5.indd 1 

2017-10-17 10:25 AM

The International News Weekly REGIONAL/CANADA 


Auto insurance 

premiums in 905 to 

be restructured, says 

finance minister 


The minister said Ontario was further cutting corporate 

taxes because of what the Trump administration 

is doing in the US. By lowering corporate taxes in Ontario, 

he said, "We want to make sure that we stay ahead 

of the US.’’ Ontario today has the lowest corporate taxes 

in North America and among the OCED countries, he 

said, adding that it is the lowest in 30 years. 

Justifying hike in minimum wages, he said, ``We 

have a growing economy and we have the lowest unemployment 

rates in over a decade, but we also have 1.6 

million people who are not getting fair wages, who are 

not benefiting from the prosperity. We want to support 

them (through hike in wages).’’ When told about public 

anger over high auto insurance rates in the 905 Peel 

region, the minister said, ``We have made a number of 

changes to provide for lower costs in auto insurance that 

will result in lower premium, but it is not enough, especially 

for our communities in Brampton, Mississauga 

and Scarborough. We need to do better. David Marshall 

(Ontario's adviser on auto insurance) has come out 

with a number of recommendations which will lower 

premiums.’’ In the coming months, the minister said, 

he would also come out with a restructuring of the auto 

insurance programme that will lower premium costs. 

The minister also touched upon the expansion of universal 

health care to include free medicines for anyone 

under 25, free tuition for students and greater support 

for hospitals and seniors. 

Reena Virk's 20th death anniversary marked with tears 


Standing just steps 

away from the beach where 

his daughter was murdered 

in November 1997, Manjit 

Virk said Reena was a naive, 

14-year-old girl trying to 

find herself in a hard world 

and ended up the victim of a 

"horrible act." 

About 200 people gathered 

outside a historic 

schoolhouse along the 

Gorge Waterway to mark 

the sombre anniversary 

during a pounding rainstorm. 

The site overlooked 

the beach near where 

Virk was killed and is not 

far from the Craigflower 

Bridge where the teen was 

lured and beaten by a group 

of girls. 

"When she went to 

school, she had a hard 

time," said Manjit Virk. 

"She was very puzzled. Why 

would people pick on her?" 

He said as parents, he 

and his wife, Suman, were 

worried about their daughter's 

struggles to find acceptance 

among her peers. 

Virk said his daughter was 

trusting, and their attempts 

to warn her about possible 

troubles ahead did not sink 

in to a teenager seeking her 

Toronto editor, publisher 

face hate-related charges 


TORONTO: The editor and 

publisher of a controversial 

Toronto publication are 

facing hate-related charges, 

one of which had never 

been laid previously in Ontario. 

James Nicholas Sears, 

54, and Lawrence (Leroy) 

St. Germaine, 76, are each 

charged with two counts 

of wilful promotion of hatred 

against an identifiable 

group, namely Jews and 

women, Toronto police said 

Wednesday. 

Ontario Attorney General 

Yasir Naqvi said it is 

the first time in the province 

that hate crime charges 

have been laid alleging 

the wilful promotion of hatred 

against women. 

"In a multicultural and 

inclusive province like 

Ontario, the promotion of 

hatred stands in direct opposition 

to our fundamental 

values of equality and 

diversity," Naqvi said in a 

statement. 

"Hate crimes are, by 

their very nature, serious 

offences because their impacts 

can be devastating, 

spreading from the individual, 

through the social 

fabric of our communities 

as a whole." 

Toronto police said they 

received numerous complaints 

about the distribution 

and content of "Your 

Ward News" between March 

2015 and June 27 and allege 

the accused published and 

disseminated editions that 

promoted hatred against 

members of the Jewish community 

and women. 

In an email Wednesday 

evening, Sears called the 

charges "politically motivated" 

and said they expect to 

"easily beat" them. 

"Part of our defence will 

be a constitutional challenge 

against the hate speech law, 

as it violates our right to free 

expression," he said. 

independence. 

"We always told her, 

'Reena, this is a part of life. 

Some people have different 

values. They will mistreat 

you, but you always make 

sure you be kind with them. 

You don't retaliate. You 

don't fight back. Talk to 

your teachers. Talk to us.' " 

Virk's death made international 

headlines after 

it was reported she was the 

victim of a swarming attack 

by a group of girls who 

invited her to meet under 

the bridge to hang out. The 

attack started when one of 

the girls extinguished a lit 

cigarette on her forehead 

and ended with her death 

in shallow water near the 

bridge. Six girls were convicted 

of assault causing 

bodily harm and sentenced 

to up to one year in custody. 

Warren Glowatski and 

Kelly Ellard were convicted 

of second-degree murder 

after they followed the limping 

girl away from the fight 

and drowned her in the 

Gorge. "Little did she know 

this world is not a very safe 

place for her," said Manjit 

Virk. Glowatski was 16 at 

the time of Virk's death and 

has been released on parole, 

while Ellard, who was 15, 

remains in prison. 

Virk's death also spearheaded 

anti-bullying campaigns. 

"Anybody who 

lives in Victoria will tell 

Last year, the federal 

government ordered Canada 

Post to stop delivering "Your 

Ward News" after the thenminister 

of public services 

and procurement found it 

"highly offensive and well 

outside the norm of Canadian 

values." 

The publication, which 

is posted online, routinely 

contains articles critics have 

claimed target women, Jews, 

Muslims and the LGBTQ 

community. Jewish groups 

are commending police for 

charging Sears and St. Germaine. 

The Centre for Israel 

and Jewish Affairs says it 

and other community activists 

have provided Toronto 

police with "evidence of 

antisemitic, racist, misogynist, 

and pro-Nazi content" 

in the publication. 

"There is no place in our 

city for the mass promotion 

of hatred against women 

and minorities," CIJA chair 

Berl Nadler said Wednesday 

in a statement. 

The Friends of Simon 

Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust 

Studies said it has 

been fielding complaints 

from the public about the 

content of the publication. 

"Just recently the 'newspaper' 

was delivered to 

a predominantly Jewish 

neighbourhood in central 

Toronto where many Holocaust 

survivors and children 

of survivors reside," 

said Avi Benlolo, FSWC's 

president. "These charges, 

we hope, will be a setback 

for those who peddle 

hate."B'nai Brith Canada 

also welcomed the charges. 

"For years, 'Your Ward 

News' has attempted to promote 

hatred and poison the 

minds of impressionable 

readers against visible minorities," 

spokesman Daniel 

Koren said in a statement. 

"We hope this will 

act as a deterrent for those 

who are looking to promote 

racism, discrimination and 

hatred." 

you they can't drive over 

this bridge or walk over it 

and not think about Reena 

Virk," B.C. Education Minister 

Rob Fleming said after 

the event. Fleming paid 

tribute to the Virk family, 

who turned their grief into 

a public campaign against 

bullying. 

He said in the two decades 

since the girl's death, 

school's have launched 

numerous successful antibullying 

and inclusion 

programs, but it's difficult 

to forget the price paid by 

Reena Virk. "It's a day to 

celebrate tolerance and diversity 

and to rededicate 

ourselves in Reena's memory 

to make sure no child is 

bullied in the way that she 

was," said Fleming, who 

called her death a national 

tragedy. Following the memorial, 

Manjit Virk said 

he found the experience 

"therapeutic." He said Reena 

is never far from his family's 

thoughts. He said the 

anti-bullying campaigns in 

schools and across society 

in general are comforting 

in that they seek to make 

the world a better place. But 

Virk said he still has moments 

of darkness. "It's not 

a better place now," he said. 

"The world will be a better 

place when all people will 

accept every one." 

Loblaw launching home delivery, closing 22 stores 


"We are a customer-led company adding 

new ways to make shopping easier," said Galen 

G. Weston, Loblaw CEO, in a statement. 

Both moves come as retailers face increasing 

pressure on several fronts, including 

discount retailers such as Walmart, online 

retailers such as Amazon and pending minimum 

wage increases in some provinces. 

Amazon's recent acquisition of Whole 

Foods, including its 13 Canadian locations, 

increased speculation that Canada's grocers 

would have to step up on home delivery offerings. 

The announcement came Wednesday as 

Loblaw reported that it more than doubled its 

third-quarter profit compared with a year ago 

as its results were boosted by the sale of its 

gas bar business. The retailer said its profit 

attributable to common shareholders totalled 

$883 million or $2.24 per diluted share for the 

16 weeks ended Oct. 7. That compared with a 

profit of $419 million or $1.03 per diluted share 

for the same period last year. 

Revenue totalled $14.19 billion, up from 

$14.14 in the third quarter of 2016. 

The store closures, which are expected 

to be mostly complete by the end of the first 

quarter next year, follow an announcement 

last month that Loblaw would cut 500 corporate 

and store-support jobs. 

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The International News Weekly REGIONAL/CANADA 


07 

India’s minister of state for defence, Dr. Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, with Canadian defence minister Harjit Sajjan 

in Vancouver on Nov 14. The Indian delegation is participating in the ‘UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial: 

Vancouver 2017’. 

Canadians prefer to pay in cash 

Agencies 

TORONTO: A new report 

by Canada's central bank 

says Canadians favour cash 

payments over digital ones, 

especially for smaller sums of 

money. 

The Bank of Canada report, 

based on two surveys 

conducted by the bank in 2015 

and 2013, found 51 per cent of 

transactions were made in 

cash in 2015, with debit cards 

coming next at 31 per cent 

and credit cards last at 19 per 

cent. 

It noted nearly all small 

businesses (94 per cent) and 

large businesses (98 per cent) 

accept cash, and most shoppers 

carry physical money in 

their wallets. 

The report found the median 

amount of a cash transaction 

is the smallest of any 

method at $8.04, a debit transaction 

is $28.33 and a credit 

card transaction is $43.85. 

It said most merchants 

seem to prefer cash and debit 

card payments, as they are 

less costly to accept than 

credit cards. 

Only two-thirds of smalland 

medium-sized businesses 

accept debit and credit 

cards, it said, while nearly all 

large businesses do. 

In 2014, it cost Canadian 

merchants $10 billion to accept 

payments with $6.2 billion 

of that incurred for credit 

card payments. 

However, the report 

notes, current innovations in 

retail payments, like contactless 

cards, and future ones 

are likely to compete with 

cash and even replace it. 

Toronto drug squad officer 

dies of drug overdose 

Agencies 

TORONTO: An officer 

with the Toronto police's 

drug squad died of a fentanyl 

overdose earlier this 

year, with the amount of 

the opioid found in his system 

being too large to have 

been from mere contact 

with the drug, the force 

said Thursday. 

Const. Michael Thompson 

died in hospital three 

days after he was found 

in medical distress in his 

home on April 10, Deputy 

Chief James Ramer said in 

a statement. 

Police said they then 

started an investigation 

into the circumstances 

surrounding Thompson's 

death. 

"It is always a difficult 

time when we lose a member 

of the Toronto Police 

Service, regardless of the 

circumstances," Ramer 

said. "It's even more difficult 

when the circumstances 

of a specific loss leave us 

with more questions than 

answers." 

Police did not provide 

specifics on their investigation, 

but said there are 

many resources to help 

their officers deal with personal 

crises, health problems 

and post-traumatic 

stress disorder. 

"While these resources 

are being used, we need to 

better understand if we can 

provide additional support 

to members," police added. 

Fentanyl, a synthetic 

opioid about 100 times 

stronger than morphine, is 

often combined with other 

drugs, including cocaine, 

heroin and methamphetamine. 

It has also been 

blamed for the growing 

overdose crisis across the 

country that officials say 

claimed the lives of more 

than 2,800 people last year. 

Police said Thompson 

had access to street-level 

drugs and some of the cases 

he was involved in will be 

before the courts Monday. 

"Because of his death, and 

the circumstances under 

which it happened, changes 

will be made to how 

these cases proceed, or not, 

through the justice system," 

police said. 

Ramer called Thompson 

"a good police officer 

who was respected by his 

colleagues." 

"Our condolences remain 

with his colleagues, 

including the dedicated 

and professional members 

of the drug squad, Michael's 

family and friends who 

have all been devastated by 

his passing," Ramer said. 

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08 


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editor@canadianparvasi.com 

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India-Canada trade 

There is so much going on in India-Canada 

relations these days. Ministers from the two 

countries have been visiting one another’s 

countries. 

Three federal ministers from Canada have 

just been in India, and India’s minister of 

state for defence too has just visited Canada. 

Apart from these ministerial-level visits, 

there have been business exchanges between 

the two countries. Trade delegations from 

provinces and trade bodies are also going 

to India as November-till-January are the 

busiest months in India for such exchanges. 

Over 4,000 Indian companies have set up 

their offices in Canada and Indians bring in 

billions of dollars into Canada each year. 

All this is well, but the moot point is that 

the trade volume between the two countries 

is just $8 billion. This is a very small figure, 

considering Canada’s trade with China and 

many other Asian countries. 

However, there are hopeful signs as the 

two countries near signing the two major 

treaties - the Comprehensive Economic 

Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and 

the Foreign Investment Promotion and 

Protection Agreement (FIPA). 

Once these two long-pending agreements 

are signed, businesses and investors in 

Canada will be a lot more enthusiastic about 

entering India. Experts say the trade volume 

between India and Canada is expected to touch 

the 20-billion mark within the next five years. 

There is also a need to involve the huge 

Indian diaspora in Canada in this task. Both 

New Delhi and state governments, such as 

Punjab, need to increase interactions with 

the diaspora to involve them in promoting 

business activities between the two countries. 

In this regard, the visits of various chief 

ministers from India can be very effective 

as they can tap their respective diasporas in 

this effort. 

Thought for the week 

There is no such thing as a good tax. 

~Winston Churchill 

Is virtual Punjabi nation feasible? 

Brig Nawab Heer and 

Ms Preet Heer 

Though religion and language are 

part of our emotions, language has one 

more quality. As a medium of communication, 

it is a channel for expression 

of human intellect. Since all human development 

is dependent upon intellect, 

nations which do not improve their intellect 

by developing their language lag 

behind. 

Take Ireland which was formed on 

the basis of religion. The Irish could 

not develop their language and that 

could be the reason they are lagging 

England in development. Both North 

Ireland and Scotland are lagging England 

because they sacrificed their language 

for English. Faster development 

of countries such as Germany, Japan, 

France, Sweden and Norway can be 

linked to the priority they gave to developing 

their languages. 

Pakistan was created on the basis 

of religion, but it neither could continue 

for long time as a Nation state 

and nor could it progress much in development. 

Even India bent upon perusing 

English language for short turn 

gains; it has remained much behind its 

neighbour China. In Indian Punjab, as 

Punjabi language got some impetus initially 

after partition, it progressed very 

fast in agriculture due to new technology 

provided to the farmers which became 

possible due to development of 

their language-Punjabi. Pakistan Punjab 

has not developed in agriculture as 

against Indian Punjab, since after partition 

initially they adapted Urdu over 

Punjabi. 

It can be seen that due unification 

of power of Malayalee language, Indian 

state Kerala has emerged as a strong 

Malayalee Nation by merging Hindu, 

Muslim and Christian religions and 

progressed much ahead in India than 

other states through the engine of common 

language. There are hardly any 

religious riots reported in Kerala. If we 

analyse partition of Punjab and Bengal 

in 1947, both sides of the border much 

communal murders were committed 

by the Punjabis and Not Bengalis. 

There are large number of Muslims 

still living peacefully in West Bengal, 

as against this in Bangladesh minorities 

are being decimated. Whereas in 

Punjab, both sides Punjab’s minorities 

had started diminishing initially. 

Bengali Nation has proved to be more 

successful than Punjabi Nation. The 

good News is that, whatever, happened 

in case of Malayalee’s and Bengalis; 

Dear Brigadier Sahib, 

You have written what is certainly 

the most touching account 

that I have read of the 1984 anti-Sikh 

riots in India. I was not even aware of 

the attacks on the Sikh soldiers who 

were traveling at the time. One does 

indeed hang one's head in shame at 

now may be it is going to happen for 

Punjabis also. There were times when 

Punjabi was considered offshoot of 

Hindustani ie.Hindi and Urdu. Initially 

many Punjabi writers started writing 

in Urdu and later in Hindi. However, 

this trend was changed in 20th century 

when high standard and large volume 

of writings came up in Punjabi, thus 

Punjabi remerged once again the language 

of some status. Post 1947, partition 

Punjabi literature has gained in 

stature and thereafter many NRI’s 

writers and Pakistan based Punjabi 

writers contributed emencly to this 

language. 

The language not only fulfills our 

emotions, but it is main tool in our 

day to day, important, less important, 

beautiful, ugly, tasty and less tasty 

functioning of our life. If our scholars of 

History, Chemistry, Science, Political 

science work and think in their mother 

tongue their brains are taxed less and 

their productivity enhances. 

Many Punjabi speaking areas are 

in Pakistan, whereas as this language 

initially travelled from Multan to Patiala, 

Ambala, Chandigarh, Kangra 

and Jammu. All these places have different 

dialect, but they can all interact 

communicate with each other with 

ease. Today, the world has become one 

big village and Punjabi language is 

wide spread globally, still majority of 

Punjabi speaking people live in India 

and Pakistan.Simlarly,many Punjabi 

speaking persons are settled in other 

states of India and Pakistan and they 

are all connected to Punjabi culture 

and sing Punjabi songs with pride on 

Lohri day and on other festivals. 

In 2001, total population of Punjab 

was 2.42 Crores and that of Pakistani 

Punjab in 1997 was 7.36 Crores. Therefore, 

the total Punjabi population combined 

that of Punjabi speaking of India, 

Pakistan and other rest of the world is 

approximately 13-14 crores; which is 

little less than total population of Germany 

and France. It is worth consideration 

that, if 14 crores people study and 

Letters to the Editor 

such events. 

Sadly, the political class of India 

has failed to provide closure to the 

victims and their families. Closure is 

a mandatory precondition if the people 

affected are to move on. There is a 

lesson to learn here, even for Canada. 

What I liked especially about 

your article was your mature and 

speak in any version of Punjabi and 

just in order to satisfy their social needs 

,how many Books,Magzines,News 

papers,Films,CD’s,DVDs’ can be produced. 

It will not only act as a Social 

revolution, but will also become Economic 

revolution. If this happens Punjabi 

Nation will have its major say in 

the Global affairs.Many optimistics 

will argue it is unlikely to happen today, 

but, it is desirable to happen in the 

near future. 

In fact Country or a state is piece of 

land which is studied by the students 

of Geography. We understand that Nation 

is civilization. We also understand 

that biggest identification of any civilization 

is its language since only by use 

of a language Human beings become 

intellectually strong and attain development 

Economically, Socially and establish 

a good civilization. 

We cannot say that all Punjabis living 

all over the Globe have same heart 

"In 2001, total population of Pun- jab was 

2.42 Crores and that of Paki- stani Punjab 

in 1997 was 7.36 Crores. Therefore, the 

total Punjabi population combined that 

of Punjabi speaking of India, Pakistan and 

other rest of the world is approximately 

13-14 crores; which is little less than total 

population of Germany and France'' 

beat and same rhythm, but the way, 

Punjabis both sides of the Border created 

the atmosphere of peace and tranquillity 

initially on opening of Bagha 

(Post on Indo-Pak border) border for 

trade between India and Pakistan, it 

gave once again impetus to Punjabi 

Spirit as Punjabi Nation. These days to 

think about breaking borders can only 

be on the imagination of mentally deranged 

person, however many Punjabis 

of 14 crores Punjabis who are thinking 

of cooperation in cultural, economic 

and political field which is must for 

Punjabi Nation is can create a such a 

Nation without physical unifications. 

Therefore initiative has to come from 

the NRI’s Punjabis living across the 

Globe to first make sure we nurture 

our Punjabi language to create Cultural 

and Economic revolution amongst all 

Punjabis of the world. If we cannot create 

physical Punjabi Nation, but we can 

still think of creating a” Virtual Punjabi 

Nation” through our Punjabi language 

riding ongoing digital revolution. 

( Brig Nawab Heer can be contacted at 

nawabheer@gmail.com) 

conciliatory tone. We need to come to 

terms with our past, even if acknowledging 

it is uncomfortable, if we are 

unite as one community in a foreign 

country. I hope many readers heed 

your message to this end. 

Best regards, 

Darshan 

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The International News Weekly November 17, 2017 | Toronto 

09

The International News Weekly india 


Indian President prays at Golden Temple 

Agencies 

AMRITSAR: President 

Ram Nath Kovind arrived 

here on Thursday 

and offered prayers at 

Harmandir Sahib, popularly 

known as the Golden 

Temple, the holiest of Sikh 

shrines. 

The President was accompanied 

by senior functionaries 

of the Shiromani 

Gurdwara Parbandhak 

Committee (SGPC), including 

its President, Kirpal 

Singh Badungar, and other 

officials, during the visit. 

The President's family 

members also accompanied 

him. With his 

head covered with a white 

handkerchief, the President 

walked around the 

"parikarma" of the shrine 

complex and went to the 

Guru Ram Das Langar 

Hall (which has the largest 

community kitchen in the 

world) before entering the 

sanctum sanctorum to offer 

prayers. 

Kovind was given a 

'Siropa' (robe of honour) 

inside the shrine. Tight security 

arrangements were 

made in and around the 

shrine complex for Kovind's 

maiden visit. 

Punjab Governor V.P. 

Singh Badnore, Union 

Minister for Food Processing 

Harsimrat Kaur Badal 

and Shiromani Akali Dal 

(SAD) President Sukhbir 

Singh Badal also accompanied 

the President and his 

entourage. 

The large number of 

devotees present inside 

the shrine complex were 

excited to see the President 

in their midst. 

The SGPC task force 

sewadars (volunteers) 

formed a security ring 

around the President, 

along with security personnel 

in plain-clothes, 

during the visit. 

No stay on release of 

film on Kejriwal 

Indo-Asian News Service 

NEW DELHI: Filmmakers 

and writers should be 

allowed to enjoy freedom of 

speech and expression and 

curbs can't be put on this, 

the Supreme Court said on 

Thursday, rejecting a plea 

against the release of a documentary 

on Delhi Chief 

Minister Arvind Kejriwal. 

The apex court said that 

freedom of speech and expression 

was "sacrosanct". 

The documentary, "An 

Insignificant Man", based 

on activist-turned-politician 

Kejriwal's life, will be 

screened in cinemas across 

India on Friday as scheduled. 

The Supreme Court 

refused to entertain the plea 

to delete the portion showing 

petitioner Nachiketa 

Walhekar throwing ink on 

Kejriwal. 

Walhekar said the 2013 

ink throwing incident was 

shown in a promotional 

trailer. 

Rejecting the request 

that the documentary not 

be released, Chief Justice 

Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. 

Khanwilkar and Justice 

D.Y. Chandrachud said: 

"Courts should be extremely 

slow in passing any kind 

of restraint order in such 

a situation as there can't 

be curbs on the freedom of 

speech and expression." 

Speaking for the bench, 

Chief Justice Misra said: 

"The courts ... should allow 

the respect that a creative 

man enjoys in writing a 

drama, play, playlet, book 

on philosophy, or any kind 

of thought that is expressed 

on the celluloid or theatre. 

"It is worthy to mention 

that the freedom of speech 

and expression is sacrosanct 

and the said right 

should not be ordinarily 

interfered with," the court 

said, emphasising on the 

creative instincts of an artiste 

or author. 

The court said all creative 

people have the right 

to enjoy their works in 

production of films and 

dramas. "Be it noted, a film 

or a drama or a novel or a 

book is a creation of art. An 

artiste has his own freedom 

to express himself in a manner 

which is not prohibited 

in law and such prohibitions 

are not read by implication 

to crucify the rights 

of expressive mind," the 

court said. 

Sonia should pardon Rajiv's 

killers, says ex-judge 

Agencies 

KOTTAYAM: Congress 

President Sonia Gandhi 

should pardon those sentenced 

to death or life imprisonment 

in the assassination 

of her husband 

Rajiv Gandhi, says former 

Supreme Court judge K.T. 

Thomas who delivered the 

capital punishment. 

Thomas told IANS on 

Thursday that he had indeed 

made the appeal to 

Sonia Gandhi so that those 

involved in her husband's 

assassination and now in 

jail can be pardoned. 

Thomas, 80, said he 

wrote to Sonia Gandhi last 

week. 

"I happened to read an 

article about the emotions 

and feelings of Perarivalan, 

one of the accused... It filled 

my eyes and then I felt that 

he and others have been in 

jail for over a quarter century. 

"Even though it was I 

who delivered the judgement 

then, I felt that the 

only person who can come 

forward to pardon them is 

none other than Sonia Gandhi 

and hence I wrote to 

her," he said. 

Bill Gates asked 

to build model 

villages in India 


NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on 

Thursday met Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, co-chair 

of the Gates Foundation, and requested him to initiate 

health awareness programmes in India and suggested 

that his foundation should also concentrate on developing 

model villages. Welcoming Gates, Singh also appreciated 

the various welfare works being undertaken 

by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in India, said a 

Ministry of Home Affairs statement. 

Accoring to the statement, Singh requested Gates 

to initiate health awareness programmes in India and 

suggested that his foundation should concentrate on 

developing villages and make them "Model Villages" so 

that the local people get inspired. 

Gates also explained about the various technologies 

being adopted by them in the field of agriculture and 

sanitation. He assured the Minister that the Foundation 

will offer constructive support to India. 

Thomas, however, said 

he had no feeling of guilt 

over the judgement that he 

delivered. 

"The central government 

will never ever even 

think of pardoning those in 

jail as it could lead to a severe 

backlash. None other 

than Sonia can take the initiative 

to see that they are 

pardoned. 

"If she does it, I am certain, 

the Centre also will 

come forward and do what 

it can do," said Thomas, 

who became a judge of the 

Supreme Court in 1996 and 

retired in 2002. 

A suicide bomber linked 

to the now vanquished Sri 

Lankan Tamil Tigers assassinated 

Rajiv Gandhi at an 

election rally near Chennai 

in May 1991. 

Swamy asks 

Hindus to wake 

up on Ayodhya 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: BJP leader 

Subramanian Swamy on 

Thursday asked Hindus to 

"wake up" since Muslim 

leaders were "refusing to 

give up" on the mosque in 

the Ayodhya dispute. 

"Hindus wake up! Muslims 

leaders are refusing 

to give up on a masjid, that 

is shiftable, to restore the 

holiest temple on the birthplace 

of Ram," Swamy said 

on Twitter. Swamy's tweet 

came amid efforts by Art of 

Living founder Sri Sri Ravi 

Shankar to try to thrash out 

a mutually acceptable formula 

to the long-simmering 

Ayodha dispute.

The International News Weekly INDIA 


11 

Modi is 30 percent more popular than Rahul 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: Over three years 

into office, Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi's popularity is still at par 

with what it was in 2015, and 70 per 

cent Indians are "satisfied" with the 

way things are going in the country, 

a Pew survey of 2,464 respondents 

shows. 

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar 

Prasad on Thursday drew media's 

attention towards the "detailed" 

survey by the US-based think tank 

which, Prasad emphasised, was "well 

reputed and credible". 

According to the survey, conducted 

among 2,464 respondents in 

India from February 21 to March 10 

this year, nearly 90 per cent Indians 

hold a favorable opinion of Modi, 

comparable to their view of him in 

2015, after a year in office. 

Roughly 70 per cent say they 

have a very favorable view of the 

Prime Minister. It says that since 

2015, Modi's popularity is relatively 

unchanged in the north, has risen in 

the west and the south and is down 

slightly in the east. 

It points out that Modi's favorable 

rating is 31 percentage points higher 

than that of Congress President Sonia 

Gandhi, and 30 points higher 

than that of Congress Vice President 

Rahul Gandhi. 

Overall, 70 per cent Indians are 

"satisfied" with the way things are 

going in the country. This positive 

assessment of India's direction has 

nearly doubled since 2014, it says. 

India has a population of around 

1.30 billion, of which, 814.5 million 

people were eligible to vote, that is, 

those who are above 18 years of age 

as per the Election Commission of 

India data. 

The Pew survey did not include 

the states of Jammu and Kashmir, 

Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, 

Kerala and the entire northeast. 

Also, 70 per cent Indians approve 

of how he has helped the poor and 

handled unemployment, terrorism 

and corruption. Approval in these 

four areas is up 10 points or more 

since 2016, the survey finds. 

"BJP supporters have a more 

positive opinion on the economy 

than Congress supporters. But both 

groups are similarly satisfied with 

the direction of the country, despite 

a partisan gap of 18 points in 2016," 

the survey says. As far as handling of 

various burning issues by Modi, only 

50 per cent approve of the way he has 

handled communal relations, just 

48 per cent approve handling of air 

pollution, 57 approve of handling of 

rising prices and 60 per cent approve 

Modi's handling of the Kashmir issue. 

"Modi's lowest ratings are for his 

handling of communal relations (50 

per rcent) -- the long fractious tensions 

between Muslims and Hindus 

and India's various castes -- and for 

his efforts to curb air pollution (48 

per cent). People living in northern 

India...are particularly critical of 

how he has dealt with communal 

relations. And rural Indians are less 

supportive than those in urban areas 

of his handling of both communal relations 

and air pollution," the survey 

says. 

According to the survey findings, 

Modi is quite popular among youngsters, 

that is aged between 18-29 

years. Around 72 per cent of this age 

group has "very favourable" view of 

Modi while only 5 per cent hold "very 

unfavorable" view of him. 

The overall "very favourable" 

views are 69 per cent while "very unfavorable" 

are just 6 per cent. 

Interestingly, a majority (55 per 

cent) of Indians also back a governing 

system in which a strong leader 

can make decisions without interference 

from Parliament or the courts, 

while 53 per cent support military 

rule, the survey finds. 

"Support for autocratic rule is 

higher in India than in any other nation 

surveyed," it notes. 

"BJP supporters and those who 

live in urban areas are significantly 

more likely than Congress party 

backers and those in rural regions 

to support rule by a strong leader, 

by the military and by experts," it 

further says. 

On demonetisation, it finds that 

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Kapil Sharma to be 'back with a bang' with show: Sony 

Agencies 

MUMBAI: Comedian 

Kapil Sharma will be back 

"with a bang" on the small 

screen with his popular entertainer 

"The Kapil Sharma 

Show" soon, a channel 

official has confirmed. 

"Kapil will be back 

(on TV) very soon," Danish 

Khan, Executive Vice 

President and Business 

Head, Sony Entertainment 

Television, told IANS here. 

The actor-comedian is 

currently in the midst of 

promoting his forthcoming 

Bollywood film "Firangi". 

"His movie 'Firangi' is 

releasing on November 24. 

We are very fond of Kapil. 

We are even doing a promotional 

show (which will 

be televised) for his movie. 

We believe he has made 

a good movie and it's going 

to be successful. Then, 

Kapil will be back with a 

bang on Sony," Khan added. 

In August, the channel 

had announced a "short 

break" with Kapil and his 

show. 

An official spokesperson 

from the channel 

had said then that since 

Kapil had been under the 

weather, they had "mutually 

agreed to take a short 

break", and that they 

would start shooting again 

once he recovers completely. 

For Kapil, it was an 

"emotional moment" when 

earlier this week he visited 

the set of "Super Dancer 

Chapter 2" to promote "Firangi". 

It once used to be 

the set of "The Kapil Sharma 

Show". 

Delhi woman gangraped 

by taxi driver, aide 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: A woman 

has alleged she was kidnapped 

by a cab driver 

and his associate from 

south Delhi before being 

gangraped and looted 

in Greater Noida, police 

said. Police on Thursday 

said the incident occurred 

on the intervening night 

of Tuesday and Wednesday 

when the victim had 

taken a cab from a place 

near Ansal Plaza to go to 

her residence in Rohini. 

When the woman was 

waiting for autorickshaw, 

the accused cab driver, 

finding her alone, offered 

her a lift to drop her residence 

in Rohini. He drove 

to Dhaula Kaun area 

from where his associate 

boarded the car and both 

began misbehaving with 

her. 

"They threatened her 

and forcibly took her to a 

deserted place in Greater 

Noida and allegedly took 

turns to rape her on gun 

point," Additional Deputy 

Commissioner of Police 

Chinmoy Biswal said. 

"They raped her for over 

five hours before dropping 

her on Wednesday 

morning near Greater 

Noida," the police officer 

said. The accused also 

took away her gold ornaments, 

'mangal sutra', cell 

phone and Rs 12,000 in 

cash, Biswal said. 

Man arrested for 

molesting Delhi 

journalist, another 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: A man was arrested on Thursday 

for molesting two women, including a journalist 

of an English daily, at a Metro station here, police 

said. 

Police formed five teams to trace the molester 

and interrogated 5,000 suspects over two days before 

they nailed the culprit. 

The incident took place on Monday evening 

when the accused, identified as Akhilesh Kumar, 

was under the influence of alcohol. He molested the 

women and passed lewd remarks at them in the ITO 

Metro Station premises in central Delhi. 

"By the time the victims informed the police, 

Akhilesh Kumar had fled. During investigation, 

five teams of police interrogated over 5,000 persons 

on Tuesday and Wednesday and finally traced Kumar," 

said Deputy Commissioner of Police Pankaj 

Singh. 

"Akhilesh Kumar, who works as a help at a tea 

stall and lives in a slum area near ITO, was arrested 

from his residence on a tip-off after police teams 

conducted a raid," Singh said. 

Rs 5-crore bounty on heads 

of Deepika, Bhansali 


"wrongfully portraying" queen Padmini in their 

coming film 'Padmavati'. 

Thakur Abhishek Som of Sardhana Chaubisi, 

who claimed affiliation to the Samajwadi Party, said 

the Kshatriya community will not tolerate wrongful 

portrayal of the queen and meddling with its rich 

heritage. 

Claiming that his political affiliations had nothing 

to do with his stand, Som warned that even Prime 

Minister Narendra Modi will not be able to save the 

Bollywood film maker and the actor. 

Demanding a ban on the movie, Som told the media 

that it would be better if Deepika Padukone left 

the country or else her head will be chopped off. 

"I am making this declaration on behalf of the 

Kshatriya Samaj," he said. 

He accused Bhansali of lacking knowledge about 

history and that he was only interested in Box Office 

profits even if it meant meddling with history. 

Som said he was ready to face the consequence of 

his stand on the issue.

The International News Weekly India 


13 

Delhi builder 'shot dead' 

at friend's house 

Agencies 

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Indian Air Force chief Birinder Singh Dhanoa releasing the Special Cover 

at the presentation of the Standards to 223 Squadron and 117 Helicopter Unit of Indian Air Force at Adampur, in 

Punjab on November 16. 

Kovind awards standards 

to two IAF squadrons 

Agencies 

Adampur: President Ram 

Nath Kovind on Thursday 

awarded standards to two 

squadrons of the Indian Air 

Force at a ceremony here. 

The standards were 

awarded to the 223 Squadron 

(Tridents) and 117 Helicopter 

unit (Himalayan Dragon) 

for excellence. Kovind, on 

his maiden visit to Punjab 

after taking office, inspected 

a guard of honour at the forward 

air force base. 

Kovind, in his address, 

said citizens have a sound 

sleep knowing that the borders 

were in the safe hands 

of "our brave defence personnel". 

The IAF gave an 

impressive aerial display on 

the occasion. Punjab Governor 

V.P. Singh Badnore, Air 

Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa 

and several dignitaries were 

at the event. 

Maharashtra to give 

security for 'Padmavati' 

Agencies 

MUMBAI: Standing firmly with 

Bollywood, the Maharashtra government 

on Thursday assured security 

to theatres which screen "Padmavati", 

the upcoming epic period drama 

by filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali 

that has come under attack from critics. 

Minister of State for Home (Urban) 

Ranjit Patil said that in view of 

the volatile situation, security would 

be provided to all theatres screening 

the film which has raked up controversy 

days before its release. 

"All measures will be taken. We 

are monitoring the situation on a 

daily basis to ensure that no untoward 

incident happens," Patil told the 

media. Besides, he said some groups 

opposing the film had met government 

representatives to explain their 

stand and Chief Minister Devendra 

Fadnavis was seized of the matter. 

The development came a couple 

of days after Fadnavis provided a 

precautionery security cover to 

Bhansali, who is facing death threats 

from various quarters. The state 

government's stand is in contrast to 

the stand taken by Bharatiya Janata 

Party (BJP) legislator from Mumbai 

Ram Kadam, also President of the 

Film Studios Setting and Allied Mazdoor 

Sangh. 

Kadam said that in view of the 

public sentiments, they had decided 

to oppose the film "tooth and nail" 

and threatened that his union would 

never work with Bhansali in future. 

Besides Bhansali, even the lead 

heroine of the film, Deepika Padukone, 

has been threatened by the 

Shri Rajput Karni Sena, which has 

called for a nationwide shutdown 

on December 1 to oppose the film release. 

However, the Maharashtra 

Navnirman Chitrapat Sena has said 

it would take a stand on the film only 

after watching it and if anything was 

found objectionable it would discuss 

the issue with Bhansali. 

"We have decided not to oppose 

it without watching it. We are aware 

that some groups and individuals are 

against it, but we shall watch the film 

first before taking any stand," MNCS 

President Amey Khopkar said in a 

statement. 

NEW DELHI: A 43-year old builder was allegedly shot 

dead at his friend house in west Delhi's Bengali Colony, 

police said on Thursday. 

Police said the deceased, Manmohan was on Wednesday 

night at around 11.30 p.m found shot dead at Sujeet 

Ghosh's residence. "The Police was informed by one Vikas 

Chandra, 68, who stays in the same building. Chandra 

heard noise of Manmohan, he went to check but in the 

meantime Sujeet closed his door. Sensing trouble Chandra 

immediately called police," Deputy Commissioner of 

Police Shibesh Singh said. 

"We have booked Sujeet, his wife, Shashi and two sons, 

Abhijeet Ghosh and Abhishek Ghosh and a probe is on to 

ascertain their roles in the crime. Two country-made pistols 

of which one belonged to Manmohan were recovered 

from the spot," Singh said. 

Singh said, During interrogation, none of the family 

members admitted to the crime and claimed that Manmohan 

hit himself from his pistol. 

However, Sunita, wife of Manmohan said: "Manmohan 

called his daughter around 10.30 p.m and informed 

that he was going to meet Sujeet to discuss something. Recently, 

they had bought a flat in the area and Sujeet had to 

pay Rs 50 Lakh which he was ignoring it from few days." 

Man kills wife, hangs 

himself in Delhi 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: A 30-year-old man on Thursday allegedly 

killed his wife before hanging himself from a ceiling fan at 

his house here, police said. 

Ram Chandra and his 28-year-old wife, Neetu, were 

found dead by their neighbour, Md. Amir, around 4 a.m., 

police said. 

The incident took place in south Delhi's Sangam Vihar. 

Amir told police that he was going to use the washroom 

when he heard the cries of the Chandra couple's fourmonth-old 

son. He then peeped inside their house to see 

Neetu lying on the bed and Ram Chandra hanging from 

the ceiling fan, a police officer said. 

"Prima facie, it appears that Chandra first strangulated 

his wife over some argument and then committed suicide. 

No suicide note was found from the spot," the officer 

said. Neetu's mother also stays with the couple. She, along 

with her three-year-old grandson, had gone to her younger 

son's home nearby, the officer said. 

"Ram Chandra worked as a driver in a power company 

and had been staying in the rented accommodation from 

last three years. The couple got married four years ago," he 

said. "Chandra was a native of Uttar Pradesh's Agra. We 

are waiting for the postmortem examination report of the 

deceased," the officer added. Mohan Singh, uncle of Chandra, 

told IANS: "The couple was happy. Their financial 

condition was also good. We do not know why Chandra 

took the extreme step." 

CBI takes over 'sex CD' case 

Agencies 

RAIPUR: The CBI has taken 

over probe into the controversial 

'sex CD' scandal 

allegedly involving Chhattisgarh 

Minister Rajesh 

Munat after issuance of a 

notification by the Union 

government on Thursday. 

The move comes after 

the state government requested 

on October 28 for 

the probe by the Central Bureau 

of Investigation (CBI). 

The state Chief Secretary 

Vivek Dhand has been intimated 

about the notification 

and the subsequent 

initiation of the CBI probe. 

A CBI team will soon visit 

Raipur and take possession 

of all the relevant documents 

on the case from the 

state police. A complaint in 

the case stands registered at 

the Pandri and Civil Lines 

police station. Last month, 

Munat had claimed that 

the said CD was fake and 

urged Chief Minister Raman 

Singh for a high-level 

inquiry.

The International News Weekly India 


Padmavati row: Rajputs threaten 

to chop off Deepika's nose 

Agencies 

MUMBAI: The row over 

filmmaker Sanjay Leela 

Bhansalis "Padmavati" 

intensified on Thursday 

after a Shri Rajput Karni 

Sena member threatened 

to chop off actress Deepika 

Padukones nose amid a call 

for "Bharat Bandh" (shutdown) 

on December 1 when 

the film is slated for pan- 

India release. 

The Uttar Pradesh government 

has also said in 

a letter to the Ministry of 

Information and Broadcasting 

to ensure that the 

prospects of public outrage 

and unrest over "Padmavati" 

are considered owing to 

twisting of historical facts 

before certification of the 

film by the Central Board of 

Film Certification (CBFC). 

Earlier on Thursday, 

Shri Rajput Karni Sena 

member Mahipal Singh 

Makrana said in a selfmade 

video that "Rajputs 

never raise a hand on women 

but if need be, we will do 

to Deepika what Lakshman 

did to Shurpanakha". 

Shri Rajput Karni Sena 

chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi 

also said at a press conference 

that they will call for a 

bandh on December 1. 

"We will gather in 

lakhs, our ancestors wrote 

history with blood we will 

not let anyone blacken it; 

we will call for bandh on 

December 1," Kalvi said. 

Also, Union Minister 

Uma Bharti on Thursday 

lashed out at Bhansali, and 

tweeted: "If we are talking 

about the respect of Padmavati, 

then it is our moral 

obligation that we respect 

every woman. Disrespect of 

the actress or actor of 'Padmavati' 

is uncalled for and 

immoral." 

She added: "The director 

and his associate as the 

scriptwriter of 'Padmavati' 

are responsible for its story. 

They should have taken 

care of the sentiments and 

the historical facts." 

During the shooting of 

the film earlier this year, a 

few members of the Shri Rajput 

Karni Sena had physically 

assaulted Bhansali in 

Jaipur. The party members 

also set fire to the film's set 

in Maharashtra. 

Various organisations, 

political parties and individuals 

have stood up for 

the Rajput community and 

have opposed the release 

of "Padmavati" over apprehensions 

that it distorts 

history in telling the tale of 

Rajput queen Padmavati. 

The Congress party also 

said on Wednesday that if 

there are scenes that hurt 

the sentiments of a particular 

community then the 

same need to be reviewed. 

"I have not watched the 

movie as yet, but definitely 

the Central Board of Film 

Certification formulated 

and formed by the Bharatiya 

Janata Party-led government 

has seen it and passed 

it without cuts. 

"But any movie that 

hurts the sentiments of any 

community... a film is not 

made to hurt any community," 

said Congress Spokesperson 

R.P.N. Singh. 

On the other hand, 

Deepika in an exclusive 

interview with IANS said 

nothing can stop the release 

of the film. 

"It's appalling, it's absolutely 

appalling. What 

have we gotten ourselves 

into? And where have we 

reached as a nation? We 

have regressed," Deepika 

said. "The only people we 

are answerable to is the 

censor board, and I know 

and I believe that nothing 

can stop the release of this 

film," said the actress, adding 

that the film industry's 

support symbolises how 

"this is not about 'Padmavati'... 

We're fighting a much 

bigger battle," she added. 

On his behalf, Bhansali 

has clarified through various 

platforms that the film 

doesn't show the Rajput 

community in bad light 

and has been made keeping 

all religious sentiments in 

mind. 

"Padmavati", which 

also features Shahid Kapoor 

and Ranveer Singh, is 

yet to be certified by CBFC. 

However, the Rajput community 

has demanded a 

special screening of the 

film for them before it hits 

the theatres. 

While the film is drawing 

a lot of flak from the political 

parties, Bhansali is 

getting unstinted support 

from the film community. 

"There is no fear and 

one shouldn't be scared either 

because I think this 

is a democratic country 

and everybody should 

be allowed to make films 

they want to make," Aditi 

Rao Hydari, who is part of 

"Padmavati", said here on 

Wednesday. 

Actress Richa Chadha, 

who worked with Bhansali 

in "Goliyon Ki Raasleela 

Ram-Leela", said: "With all 

due respect and love, I am 

also a Hindu, and I don't 

think religion is so weak 

that a movie can break it. 

And I think it is a speciality 

of India that we are a democracy, 

so watch the film 

before objecting." 

Celebrities like Salman 

Khan, Karan Johar and Javed 

Akhtar also expressed 

their support to the film. 

Sheena Bora murder: Indrani says 

her husband Peter, driver framed her 

Agencies 

MUMBAI: In a new twist 

in the Sheena Bora murder 

case, her mother and one of 

the prime accused Indrani 

Mukerjea here on Wednesday 

said her husband Peter 

Mukerjea and former driver 

Shyamvar Rai may have 

conspired to kidnap Sheena 

and later destroy the evidence. 

Her lawyer Gunjan 

Mangla tsaid Indrani had 

written the letter independently, 

and contrary to speculation, 

she has not levelled 

"any allegations or blamed 

anybody" in the matter. 

In a two-page handwritten 

letter to the Special 

CBI Court Judge penned on 

Wednesday, Indrani has said 

that Peter and Rai may have 

made her "untraceable" and 

later, along with other could 

have manipulated circumstance 

to frame her in the 

murder of Sheena Bora. 

"I do believe that (the 

above mentioned) along 

with others may have manipulated 

circumstance to 

frame me and have influenced 

witnesses, situations 

and information to lead to 

my arrest on 25-8-2015, for a 

heinous crime that they may 

have committed, aided and 

abetted," Indrani's letter stated. 

She urged that if the Special 

Court could obtain the 

call records of Peter Mukerjea's 

mobile number, it could 

help ascertain better if he 

and others were involved 

in Sheena Bora's disappearance 

and it would throw 

more light on their role in 

framing her (Indrani). 

Indrani urged the Special 

Judge to help provide 

the call records of Peter 

Mukerjea's mobile number 

for entire 2012 and 2015 (January-December). 

She added that this 

could help provide justice to 

Sheena "who may have lost 

her life on account of greed, 

betrayal, jealousy, lust and 

ill-will of persons whom she 

dearly loved and trusted." 

In the sensational Sheena 

Bora murder case, Indrani, 

her former husband Sanjeev 

Khanna and ex-driver 

Rai were arrested in August 

2015, Peter Mukerjea was 

nabbed in November that 

year. Sheena Bora was killed 

on April 24, 2012, and her 

body was disposed of in the 

forests near Gagode village 

in Raigad district, around 

100 km south of Mumbai. 

The murder was discovered 

only around August 

2015 when Rai was arrested 

in an arms possession case 

and later spilled the details, 

leading to the arrest of Indrani 

Mukerjea, her husband 

and former media tycoon 

Peter Mukerjea, her former 

husband Sanjeev Khanna, 

by the Mumbai Police. Later, 

in November that year, the 

case was transferred to the 

Central Bureau Of Investigation 

(CBI). The Mukerjea 

couple and Khanna remain 

in custody since nearly two 

years now. In June 2016, Rai 

turned an approver in the 

case and was given a pardon 

by the court in return for 

evidence in the matter. 

'World's oldest' 

Buddha statue 

unearthed in 

Pakistan 


NEW DELHI: A centuries-old "sleeping Buddha" 

statue has been unearthed during excavations 

near Bhamala Stupa in Haripur district of Pakistan's 

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. 

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Directorate of Archaeology 

And Museums Director Abdul Samad told 

Dawn News: "The 48-feet-long 'sleeping Buddha' 

statue dates back to the third century, which 

makes it the world's oldest 'sleeping Buddha' 

statue." 

He said that archaeologists found the statue, 

with its head intact, during excavations near the 

Bhamala Stupa. 

"We have discovered more than 500 

Buddha-related objects during excavations, 

in addition to the 48-feet long 'sleeping Buddha'," 

he said. 

The latest discoveries by the archaeologists 

have opened new chapters in the history of the 

ancient Taxila Valley Civilisation. 

"This is one of the few sites in the world to 

have the cruciform Stupa, which was reserved 

for Buddha himself," Samad had said.

The International News Weekly WORLD 


15 

Trudeau 'angers' Philippine president over bloody drug war 

Agencies 

MANILA: Prime Minister 

Justin Trudeau directly 

raised human-rights concerns 

with Rodrigo Duterte 

— including extrajudicial 

killings carried out by security 

forces in his country — 

in a confrontation Tuesday 

that the Philippine president 

later derided as a "personal 

and official insult." 

Speaking to reporters 

in Manila after a summit of 

Southeast Asian countries, 

Trudeau said he told Duterte 

about the need for the rule of 

law in the Philippines, and 

also made a friendly offer of 

support to help the Philippines 

move forward. 

Trudeau said Duterte — 

whose violent crackdown on 

drug dealers and drug users 

by his government's forces 

have left thousands dead 

— was receptive to the comments 

during what the Canadian 

prime minister called 

a very cordial and positive 

exchange. Duterte, however, 

seemed to remember it differently. 

"I said, 'I will not explain. 

It is a personal and official 

insult,'" he told a news conference 

later Tuesday of his 

discussion with Trudeau. 

"'It angers me when you are 

a foreigner, you do not know 

what exactly is happening in 

this country. You don't even 

investigate.'" 

Duterte is highly sensitive 

to such criticism, and in 

the past called then U.S. President 

Barack Obama a "son 

of a bitch" after the State Department 

publicly expressed 

concern over the Philippine 

anti-drug campaign. 

President Donald Trump, 

who also attended this week's 

ASEAN summit, did not publicly 

take Duterte to task for 

the drug crackdown. Instead, 

Trump said he and Duterte 

"had a great relationship," 

and avoided questions about 

whether he raised human 

rights concerns in a meeting 

with the Philippine leader. 

The prime minister's 

brief meeting with Duterte 

took place before Trudeau 

delivered a speech to members 

of the Association of 

Southeast Asian Nations in a 

bid for Canada to eventually 

join its exclusive, influential 

circles that focus on security 

in the Asia-Pacific. 

For several years, Canada 

has been working to forge 

closer ties with ASEAN, 

including its East Asia Summit 

security grouping that 

includes leaders of the U.S., 

China and Russia. 

The Canadian government 

asked the Philippines 

for an invitation to ASEAN 

and a working luncheon 

before this year's East Asia 

Summit. It's unclear how 

long it will take Canada to 

obtain a more-permanent 

status within ASEAN. 

Even though Duterte 

helped Canada get a seat at 

a table, Trudeau said he still 

brought up concerns with 

the Philippine president. 

"As I mentioned to President 

Duterte, we're concerned 

with human rights, 

with the extrajudicial killings," 

Trudeau told the news 

conference that closed his 

eight-day trip to the Philippines 

and Vietnam. 

"Countries around the 

world know that when you 

engage with Canada you will 

hear about human-rights 

concerns and we are the first 

to mention that we are not 

perfect, either." 

Trudeau said Indigenous 

Peoples in Canada have suffered 

"neglect, marginalization 

and mistreatment" for 

centuries. 

Indian man held for 

killing Sikh student in US 


WASHINGTON: An Indian 

student was shot dead 

allegedly by two armed robbers, 

including one of Indian-origin, 

at a grocery store 

in the US state of California, 

after which External Affairs 

Minister Sushma Swaraj 

on Thursday said the government 

is following up on 

the incident. The incident 

happened on Monday night 

when Dharampreet Singh 

Jassar, 20, was on duty at 

the Tackle Box store next 

to a gas station in Madera 

city. The suspects barged 

into the store to loot and one 

of them fired several shots 

at Jassar, who reportedly 

tried to hide behind the cash 

counter, The Fresno Bee reported. 

They later fled the scene 

with cash and a few big boxes 

of cigarettes, the police 

said. The incident was reported 

to the police by a customer 

who found Jasser's 

body on the floor on Tuesday, 

the report said. Jassar 

hailed from Punjab and was 

a student of accounting. He 

had gone to the US around 

three years ago on a student 

visa. 

Police arrested 21-yearold 

Armitraj Singh Athwal, 

an Indian-origin man, believed 

to be one of the two 

robbers who fired multiple 

shots at Jassar. 

Sushma Swaraj tweeted 

on Thursday evening that 

she had received a detailed 

report on the "unfortunate 

death" of Jassar. "It was a 

case of armed robbery at a 

gas station in which robbers 

shot at Dharampreet who 

was working there. The police 

have arrested a suspect 

of Indian origin," she said. 

"We are following up 

further police investigation 

and will extend all help to 

his family." US authorities 

said a Fresno County 

Sheriff's deputy saw media 

coverage of the incident on 

Tuesday and recognised 

similarities between the 

suspects from the incident 

and Athwal. 

Madera Sheriff's detectives 

were contacted and 

determined that Athwal 

is the likely suspect in the 

shooting. During a search of 

Athwal's vehicle, the police 

discovered an unregistered 

0.38-caliber revolver and 

a 0.22-caliber assault pistol 

that had been reported 

stolen, drugs and a blue 

bandana noticeable in the 

surveillance footage of the 

robbery at the store. 

Athwal's vehicle was 

also registered in another 

name. "Dharampreet was a 

completely innocent victim, 

just doing his job, when he 

was senselessly killed during 

this robbery," Madera 

Sheriff Jay Varney said. 

US senator groped, forcibly 

kissed radio anchor 

Agencies 

WASHINGTON: Minnesota 

Sen. Al Franken apologized 

Thursday after a Los 

Angeles radio anchor accused 

him of forcibly kissing 

her during a 2006 USO tour. 

Colleagues, including fellow 

Democrats, urged a Senate 

ethics investigation. 

Leeann Tweeden also 

accused Franken of posing 

for a photo with his hands 

on her breasts as she slept, 

while both were performing 

for military personnel two 

years before the one-time 

comedian was elected to the 

Senate. 

Tweeden posted the allegations, 

including the photo, 

on the website of KABC, 

where she works as a news 

anchor for a morning radio 

show. 

Senate Democratic Leader 

Chuck Schumer called 

the allegations "troubling" 

and said he hopes and expects 

that the Senate Ethics 

Committee will investigate. 

"Sexual harassment is never 

acceptable and must not be 

tolerated," Schumer said. 

Franken's fellow Minnesota 

Democrat, Amy Klobuchar, 

said, "This should not 

have happened to Leeann 

Tweeden. I strongly condemn 

this behaviour, and 

the Senate Ethics Committee 

must open an investigation." 

Franken initially released 

a brief statement in 

which he apologized but 

questioned Tweeden's recollection 

of his behaviour during 

their rehearsal for a skit. 

In a longer statement Thursday 

afternoon, he again 

apologized while maintaining 

that he remembered the 

rehearsal differently. 

"While I don't remember 

the rehearsal for the 

skit as Leeann does, I understand 

why we need to 

listen to and believe women's 

experiences," he said. 

"Coming from the world of 

comedy, I've told and written 

a lot of jokes that I once 

thought were funny but later 

came to realize were just 

plain offensive." 

Zimbabwe calm after military takeover 

Agencies 

HARARE: South Africa's President and 

Chairman of the Southern African Development 

Community (SADC) Jacob Zuma on 

Thursday called an emergency meeting to 

discuss the situation in Zimbabwe following 

a surprise military takeover. 

The future of Robert Mugabe's 37-year 

stint as Zimbabwe President remained uncertain 

as the nonagenarian ruler was still under 

house arrest and the whereabouts of his wife, 

Grace, were as yet unconfirmed after the 

Zimbabwe Defence Forces apparently seized 

power of the country. 

There were reports that Mugabe is resisting 

pressure to resign as President, the BBC 

said. 

According to a statement released by 

the SADC, the emergency meeting called by 

Zuma is to take place at 3 p.m. in Botswana's 

capital Gaborone and will involve the Minister 

of International Relations and Cooperation 

for South Africa and the Foreign Ministers 

of Angola, Tanzania and Zambia. 

Zuma has urged the Zimbabwean ZANU- 

PF government and the ZDF "to resolve the 

political impasse amicably". 

Meanwhile, Zimbabwean opposition 

politician Douglas Mwonzora told the BBC 

earlier that the Movement for Democratic 

Change (MDC-T) was open to transition 

talks. 

Morgan Tsvangirai, who leads the MDC- 

T, was reportedly returning to Zimbabwe 

from South Africa, where he has been receiving 

treatment for colon cancer. 

Calm prevailed over the Zimbabwe's capital 

on Thursday morning despite the ongoing 

tension after the apparent military intervention 

against Mugabe's government, Efe news 

reported. 

Traffic returned to normal, roadblocks 

that had been installed in the Mount Pleasant 

diplomatic area a day before were removed 

and classes resumed in schools. There were 

armoured vehicles and soldiers on the streets 

of central Harare.

The International News Weekly OFF-BEAT 


Earliest evidence of winemaking in the world 

Agencies 

TORONTO: Archeologists 

from Canada are among a 

team of researchers who 

say they've unearthed 

the earliest evidence of 

winemaking in the world, 

dating the origin of the 

practice back hundreds of 

years earlier than previously 

believed. 

The discovery, reported 

in a study being 

published this week in 

the journal Proceedings of 

the Natural Academy of 

Sciences, was made in the 

South Caucasus region in 

Georgia, a country on the 

border of eastern Europe 

and western Asia. 

The excavations on the 

project were conducted by 

a team from the University 

of Toronto and the Georgian 

National Museum as 

part of a larger research 

project investigating the 

emergence of viniculture 

in the region. Researchers 

from the University 

of Pennsylvania were involved 

in studying materials 

recovered from the 

sites. 

Previously, the earliest 

known chemical evidence 

of wine made from grapes 

was dated to 5,400 to 5,000 

BC in Iran, but the archeologists 

say they can now 

trace the practice to about 

6,000 BC in sites about 50 

kilometres south of the 

Georgian capital of Tbilisi. 

"What this shows is 

that (winemaking) was 

done in small scale in little 

villages and in the Neolithic 

period — and it's a 

period when we're experimenting 

with agriculture," 

said Stephen Batiuk, a senior 

research associate at 

the University of Toronto's 

Archaeology Centre, who 

co-authored the study. 

The Neolithic period is 

characterized by activities 

that include the beginning 

of farming, domesticating 

animals and developing 

crafts such as pottery and 

weaving, and the early evidence 

of winemaking demonstrates 

further "human 

ingenuity" at the time, Batiuk 

said. 

Fragments from ceramic 

jars recovered from 

the excavated sites were 

collected and anaylzed by 

scientists at the University 

of Pennsylvania to determine 

that the residue preserved 

inside came from 

grapes used to make wine. 

"U of T's part is that 

we've been working with 

the Georgians on the excavations 

and what we did 

was, first of all, increased 

the area of excavation, 

changed the excavation 

strategies and brought in 

new methodologies," Batiuk 

explained, noting that 

the Canadian team joined 

the Georgian researchers 

about two years ago. 

"It was a way of making 

sure that the samples that 

we would eventually get 

and send to (the University 

of Pennsylvania) for the 

analysis would be good, 

clean samples from good 

context that we could trace 

and date properly." 

Archeologists found 

wide jars with narrow 

bases, which Batiuk said 

could mean that the wine 

was either partially buried 

or fully buried in the 

ground. 

"This is important because 

this is the way traditional 

wine is made in 

Georgia," he said. "So this 

would suggest perhaps the 

technology had developed 

back then." 

The absence of charred 

grape seeds, commonly 

found at ancient winemaking 

sites, remain a 

mystery for the archeologists 

though, the study 

says. It also means they 

are unable to determine 

the variety of grapes used 

in the wine. 

"Seeds by themselves, 

they are organic, so they 

will disappear in the archeological 

record," Batiuk 

said. "The ones that are 

preserved for us, especially 

going all the way back 

to the Neolithic, these will 

be charred and, once they 

are turned into charcoal, 

they can survive much 

better. 

"You could easily just 

say, 'well it's because they 

never actually exposed 

them to fire, so that's why 

we don't have any of them,' 

but that is kind of a tough 

argument to make because 

there is always accidental 

firing of these things," he 

added. "That is especially 

if you are pressing the 

grapes out afterward ... frequently 

enough people will 

toss them out in the fire 

and that will usually preserve 

some of the seeds." 

Batiuk said the winemaking 

could have started 

where the grapes were 

grown, with the product 

then transported to villages 

for the fermenting 

process. He suspected the 

grapes could have grown 

in the wild in the nearby 

hillsides, an area he said 

his team plans to excavate 

next year. 

He noted that the future 

excavation may yield 

new evidence of winemaking 

in the hillsides that 

could predate the current 

study. 

Quebec celebrity chef in hot water over 

report he lied about his background 

MONTREAL: A Quebec celebrity 

chef is defending his 

reputation after a report the 

carefully crafted narrative 

about his life and professional 

experience isn't entirely 

true. 

Giovanni Apollo released 

a sworn affidavit following 

an in-depth Montreal 

La Presse investigation published 

Thursday that raised 

questions about his past, 

including his identity, his 

qualifications and even his 

place of birth. 

The news organization 

wrote that Apollo, 47, was not 

born and raised in an Italian 

village as claimed in a number 

of places, including his 

own recipe website, and that 

his birth name is actually 

Jean-Claude. 

La Presse also refuted 

several published reports 

that Apollo trained under 

renowned chef Paul Bocuse. 

Apollo, who is based in 

Richelieu, Que., published a 

lengthy affidavit on his restaurant's 

website and on his 

various social media platforms 

to give an accounting 

of his life and experience. 

He is well-known in Quebec, 

appearing on TV and 

radio for more than a decade 

as well as writing cookbooks 

and a novel. 

"It may be that some 

parts of my personal life 

might have been romanticized 

or that some statements 

about me could have 

been nuanced," Apollo wrote 

on Facebook. 

"But by in no case will 

I accept we transform into 

ridicule or lies 34 years of 

learning, varied experiences 

and meetings in the kitchen." 

Apollo insists his birth 

name was Giovanni but that 

French immigration officials 

insisted on Jean-Claude, 

which appears on documents, 

including his Canadian 

passport. 

He said his parents are of 

Italian origin and hail from 

the Amalfi Coast and that he 

spent time there, but that, according 

to his family, he was 

born in Bourg-en-Bresse, 

France. 

Apollo also can't recall 

stating he was taught by 

Bocuse, but said rather he 

trained under disciples of the 

French culinary giant. 

"In any case, I do not remember 

having approved 

any publication that would 

indicate I was a pupil of Paul 

Bocuse," Apollo wrote. "I 

say I did my apprenticeship 

as a chef with Paul Bocuse's 

pupils and disciples, but not 

with Mr. Bocuse directly." 

He also addressed the issue 

of failed restaurant projects 

that have left investors 

out in the cold, saying that 

while they haven't always 

been successful, it's unfair to 

say he is on bad terms with 

former business partners. 

Apollo said he can't 

control everything written 

about him over the years, including 

details on a LinkedIn 

account in his name that he 

describes as a fake. 

"I emphasize that I have 

not approved or controlled 

everything that may have 

been written, published 

or said about me over the 

years," Apollo wrote. 

"It is therefore possible 

that some erroneous or inaccurate 

information that is 

open to interpretation has 

been published about me 

without my knowledge or 

without my having had the 

opportunity to correct or 

qualify it." 

Apollo was also the subject 

of sexual harassment 

and intimidation allegations 

in a separate Radio-Canada 

report earlier this month — 

allegations he denied vehemently 

in the affidavit. 

"With respect to the allegations 

of psychological 

harassment and of a sexual 

nature, I reiterate that I have 

never committed such acts," 

he wrote, adding he is generally 

well regarded by his staff. 

He claims that since Nov. 

2, his family has faced hurtful 

comments and intense 

media pressure and that he 

is also concerned about lost 

business opportunities. 

App that blocks porn 

sites by singing bhajans 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: With many linking increasing 

sexual assaults on women in 

India to exposure of men to porn and 

other forms of titillation, a team of researchers 

at the Institute of Medical Sciences 

of Banaras Hindu University has 

developed an app to block excess porn 

material. 

According to ANI, the app is appropriately 

called `Har Har Mahadev.' 

It took the team six months to develop 

the app. It is capable of blocking up to 

3,800 identified sites which are visited 

by men. 

Once installed, the app will play 

bhajans and devotional songs every 

time the user tries to open a porn site 

or any other site that is considered as 

'inappropriate'. 

This measure has been taken up to 

do away with the onslaught of trash and 

misinformation on the internet. 

This application is available on both 

mobile and desktop. 

The agency quoted BHU Professor 

Vijaynath Mishra, who led the development 

of the app, as saying, "By next 

month we will give a religion option. 

For example if a Muslim tries to open 

then 'Allah o Akbar' will be played, similarly 

chants of other religion will be 

loaded as well". 

"When I first developed this app I 

had my patients, my children and my 

students in mind, but now I think this 

should be made available to the whole 

world," he said. 

Accoridng to BHU medical superintendent 

O.P. Upadhyay, "This is a very 

good step; it will help curb the corrupt 

mentality that has spread in society. 

This is the land of Madan Mohan Malviya, 

we adhere to dignity." 

The app has been developed by Prof 

Mishra, research scholars Smriti Singh 

and Akanksha Srivastav,developer Ankit 

Shrivastav and journalists Aman 

and Ankit.

The International News Weekly VIEW 


17 

Film on T-Series founder Gulshan 

Kumar to focus on his murder 

By Sugandha Rawal 

NEW DELHI: Gulshan 

Kumar was working 

towards changing the 

face of the Indian music 

business when he was 

shot dead outside a temple 

in 1997. His daughter and 

singer Tulsi Kumar says 

her father lived a short 

life, but he is still alive in 

the memories of people 

because of his work and 

deeds. 

"He was a person who 

did a lot for others. He 

established his name by 

working for people. I am 

not saying that because he 

came up with the brand 

T-Series, but he has a very 

big hand in a lot of people's 

lives, because he was a 

man with a very humble 

heart," Tulsi told IANS in 

an interview here. 

"His name is still alive 

because of the work and 

deeds he has done... his 

humble, helpful nature 

and his thinking. We still 

have a 'langar' in his name 

in Vaishno Devi that he 

started almost 25-30 years 

ago. No one can forget him 

because of his deeds." 

Known for helping the 

music industry boom in 

the late 1980s and early 

1990s, Gulshan Kumar 

was murdered in 1997. 

His music label T-Series 

became a name to reckon 

with in the Indian music 

industry. 

Bollywood's 'Khiladi' 

Akshay Kumar will be 

bringing the life of Gulshan 

Kumar on the big screen 

via a biopic "Mogul: The 

Gulshan Kumar Story", 

to be directed by Subhash 

Kapoor of "Jolly L.L.B." 

fame. Tulsi says the whole 

family is associated with 

the project and is reliving 

their memories with it. 

"It will be releasing 

next year. It's in the 

works. It will be a film that 

everyone would like to 

watch because it is a man's 

journey, one who lived for 

other people, and at the 

same time established such 

a big name in such a short 

time." Will she feature in 

the film? 

"I won't be featuring in 

the film, but definitely our 

whole family is involved 

because it's connected 

with papa. The makers 

are taking information 

from me, my mother, so 

everybody who is a part of 

his life is going to be part 

of the film," said Tulsi, 

who has sung a string 

of popular numbers like 

"Mere humsafar" and "Soch 

na sake". The biopic will, 

inevitably, also focus on 

how his life ended. 

For many, it would 

bring back a lot of 

troublesome memories. 

But Tulsi is not fretting 

over it. 

"It will be a very 

beautiful film that will 

focus on his rise. The film 

will be shown with a very 

positive outlook. Looking 

at what I know as of now, I 

don't think the makers will 

dramatise. It is going to be 

about the positive life of a 

man who went from rags 

to riches," said Tulsi with 

a smile. 

Tulsi, who is taking 

her late father's legacy 

forward and announced 

Gulshan Kumar Film 

and Television Institute 

of India (GKFTII) earlier 

this month, will soon be 

starting a new chapter of 

motherhood in her life. 

The singer is expecting the 

baby in January next year, 

and is still rejoicing over 

the news. 

"I am taking it a little 

slow. I am taking up 

activities where I don't 

have to be too active. But I 

don't plan to take any break 

as such," added the singer, 

who is married to Hitesh 

Ralhan. On the work front, 

she wants to her focus on 

the academy and is happy 

with the response that she 

got for the single "Ik yaad 

purani". 

"I have worked on a 

couple of more recreations 

which will be released 

soon," she added. 

Hans Raj Hans says 

music industry in crisis 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: Popular singer Hans Raj Hans says the music 

industry is in crisis, and the government must support the 

artistes as far as possible. Last week, veteran vocalist Shubha 

Mudgal, who has been batting for royalty rights for artistes, 

questioned the logic behind a tax slab of 18 per cent for them. 

Hans Raj, who left the Congress and joined the BJP last year, 

says he supports her views. "Artistes should get exemption 

because we don't get royalty in the country. The music 

industry is in a crisis as people now just download," he told 

IANS ahead of his forthcoming performance at The Sufi 

Route concert here on Saturday. 

He rued how music companies don't invest in albums 

anymore. "It's upto an artiste to take it upon themselves to cut 

a song, video and promote it. Otherwise, there's no support... 

Artistes should get a lot of support from the government. 

"Earlier, music companies used to make the audio and 

video themselves, and run it on TV. They used to do proper 

business. Now everything gets downloaded. Nobody spends 

money. People put thousands of songs in a pen drive. "In such 

a scenario, the artistes themselves are making the songs, 

video and spending to show it on TV as well," said the singer, 

known for Punjabi folk, devotional and Sufi music," he said. 

He says it is this reason why a lot of artistes in the industry 

are "troubled". As for himself, he says he has no new project 

in his kitty as of now. He last sang for Gurinder Chadha's 

"Viceroy's House", and even featured in its video briefly. 

"They came from abroad and made me sing. I am sure in 

future there will be more opportunities," he said. 

He remains occupied with live performances, and is 

excited about The Sufi Route being hosted at the Qutub 

Minar complex here. Headlining the gala evening will be 

Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman, along with other 

acclaimed artists Mukhtiar Ali and Dhruv Sangari. 

It's a concert for peace, organised by Friday Filmworks, 

INvision Entertainment and Invloed Matrix. Hans Raj, a 

Padma Shri recipient, said Sufi music touches the heart. "It is 

not connected to any religion, caste, region or nation." 

Mumbai’s clock towers that witnessed history 

Agencies 

MUMBAI: They are not-somute 

witnesses to history, 

clanging away at intervals of 

15 minutes, as if asking us all 

to grab the moment because 

time was slipping by. 

Perhaps in the daily, 

mad rush in Maximum City, 

not many Mumbaikars pay 

attention to the 16-odd timekeepers 

of the city, some of 

them centuries old. But they 

have seen dramatic changes 

as Mumbai evolved from a 

conglomeration of fishing 

villages into a burgeoning 

metropolis — a modern, 

global financial centre 

accommodating 17 million 

people that often appears to 

come asunder at its seams. 

The most famous of the 

lot is, of course, the Rajabai 

Clock Tower adorning the 

entrance of the University of 

Mumbai, which once played 

God Save The King and a 

Handel Symphony with 16 

tunes that kept changing four 

times a day — now limited to 

chimes every quarter of an 

hour. But it still makes heads 

turn with people glancing at 

their own watches to match 

the time. 

The iconic 280-feet tall 

structure, once visible from 

distances of 15 km, entered 

the 140th year of its existence 

in November. It has seen the 

reclamation of land beyond 

the present Oval Maidan, 

which pushed back the 

Arabian Sea by nearly 200 

metres. Access to the top, 

which offered a panoramic 

view of Bombay, was stopped 

a few decades ago after it 

became a suicide point. 

Other famous clock 

towers are at Chhatrapati 

Shivaji Maharaj Terminus 

(CSMT), Naval Dockyard, 

David Sassoon at Byculla 

Zoo, Crawford Market, St. 

Thomas Cathedral, BH 

Wadia in Fort, David Sassoon 

Library, Life Insurance 

Building Churchgate, the 

Khoja Shia Imami Ismaili 

Jamatkhana gifted by the 

Moloo Brothers of Zanzibar 

— all in good working 

condition. 

Avid clock tower 

lover, conservationist and 

historian Aadil Desai said 

some of these towers are 

very well-maintained and 

continue to grab attention. 

“Several conservation 

activists regularly keep in 

touch with the owners of 

these premises on the status 

of the clock towers and they 

are very cooperative as it 

is a part of the city’s rich 

heritage and history. The 

Mumbai Port Trust is even 

considering setting up a 

museum at the site,” Desai 

said. 

Every clock tower is 

unique, each having its own 

history and importance for 

the city, he said. 

For instance, Rajabai 

Tower was financed by 

“Cotton King” Premchand 

Roychand, one of the original 

founders of the modern-day 

Bombay Stock Exchange 

Ltd. It was designed by Sir 

George Gilbert Scott on the 

lines of London’s Big Ben 

and built in nine years for 

what was then a staggering 

amount of Rs 550,000. 

It is named after 

Roychand’s blind mother, 

Rajabai, who was a staunch 

Jain and needed to have 

her meals before dusk, and 

the clock chimes helped her 

do that without needing to 

depend on anyone. 

The massive clock 

above the CSMT — which 

was one of the sites targeted 

during the 26/11 Mumbai 

terror attacks — was built 

in 1888 by Sir Frederick 

William Stevens, inspired 

by the Victorian Gothic 

architecture of London’s St 

Pancras Railway station. 

It’s now a UNESCO 

world heritage site and the 

imposing clock sees millions 

of commuters hurrying past 

daily or tourists gaping and 

photographing it. Recently, 

the BrihanMumbai 

Municipal Corporation 

(BMC) has built a “selfie 

point” off the CST and the 

BMC headquarters to help 

people click pictures of the 

heritage precincts. 

The Time Ball Building 

clock tower at Mumbai Port 

Trust is just one of the two 

surviving — the second being 

in Kolkata — and among the 

handful in the world, like at 

Greenwich, UK. 

Desai says it is an 

important piece of historical 

heritage and must be 

protected. 

It’s time to step in and 

preserve the towers which 

may otherwise become the 

victims of, well, time.

The International News Weekly MONEY/REAL ESTATE 


CIBC launches Remi to help in Global Money Transfer 


TORONTO: CIBC has announced 

the introduction of 

Remi, its first digital assistant 

designed to help clients 

send no-fee Global Money 

Transfers (GMT). 

Remi offers clients and 

people using Facebook Messenger 

the ability to check 

foreign exchange rates, 

keep track of exchange rate 

fluctuations with recurring 

alerts, and get answers to 

product questions, says a 

CIBC press release. 

Remi is capable of alerting 

clients to an exchange 

rate they set themselves, 

with an automatic option 

for sending a money transfer 

at that time. This means 

Remi will notify clients using 

Messenger, on mobile or 

online, when the exchange 

rate has reached the selected 

status, and immediately 

offer to send a global remittance, 

elevating the client 

experience by making international 

money transfers 

faster and more accessible. 

“We are excited about 

the way Remi is making it 

easier to manage sending 

money abroad,” says Vineet 

Malhotra, MD and Head of 

Alternate Solutions Group 

& Retail Solutions Group, 

CIBC. 

“You’ll always know 

exactly how much money 

you’re sending and the exchange 

rate you’ll receive, 

all without upfront fees. 

By enhancing existing 

technologies and building 

new digital solutions, we 

continue to deliver modern 

convenient banking for our 

clients, how and when they 

want.” 

CIBC Global Money 

Transfer launched in October 

2015 allowing CIBC 

clients to send money to 

over 50 countries around 

the world with no fees. Recently 

added to the roster 

are Mexico, South Korea, 

Bangladesh, United Arab 

Emirates and Singapore. 

CIBC Capital Markets 

developed Remi in collaboration 

with CIBC Live 

Labs, the bank’s technology 

incubator. Remi will 

be available in French and 

English at first, with new 

languages to be released in 

the coming months. 

October home sales in 

Canada up 0.9 per cent 


OTTAWA: Canadian home 

sales in October ticked 

higher compared with September, 

the third consecutive 

monthly increase. 

The Canadian Real Estate 

Association (CREA) 

said Wednesday the number 

of homes sold through 

its MLS system in October 

was up 0.9 per cent from the 

previous month, led by the 

Toronto region and the Fraser 

Valley in B.C. 

TD Bank senior economist 

Michael Dolega said 

the report corroborates the 

notion that the Canadian 

housing market continues 

to manoeuvre a soft landing. 

"Markets in Ontario 

remain vulnerable given 

affordability issues and lingering 

uncertainty regarding 

policies, but it would 

appear that the worst is 

behind the province, with 

some stability likely in 

store in the near- to medium-term," 

Dolega wrote in a 

note to clients. 

The increase in sales 

came as the number of newly 

listed homes slipped 0.8 

per cent in October following 

a jump of more than five 

per cent in September. 

The national sales-tonew 

listings ratio rose to 

56.7 per cent in October 

from 55.7 per cent in September. 

CREA said a national 

sales-to-new listings 

ratio of between 40 per cent 

and 60 per cent is generally 

consistent with a balanced 

market. 

Compared with a year 

ago, the number of homes 

sold in October fell 4.3 per 

cent. 

The national average 

price for a home sold in October 

was $505,937, up five 

per cent from a year ago. Excluding 

Greater Vancouver 

and Greater Toronto, the 

average price was just over 

$383,000. 

Home sales in Canada 

hit a fevered pitch in the 

spring of 2017 before the 

Ontario government moved 

to cool the market in and 

around Toronto with the 

introduction of measures 

including a tax on foreign 

buyers like the one put in 

place last year in Vancouver. 

The market has also 

seen two rate increases by 

the Bank of Canada that 

have prompted an increase 

in the prime lending rates 

at the country's big banks, 

with stricter lending rules 

set to come into place next 

year. 

In a report Wednesday, 

DBRS said mortgage borrowers 

in Canada could be 

shocked at their five-year 

renewal to find their mortgage 

payments are going up 

as rates begin to rise. 

"Over the last three 

decades, Canadian households 

have generally benefited 

from lower rates and 

have not had to adjust their 

spending patterns to cope 

with higher mortgages 

rates," the debt rating agency 

said. 

Chretien doesn't think 

Trump will scrap NAFTA 


MONTREAL: Former 

prime minister Jean 

Chretien says he doesn't 

believe U.S. President 

Donald Trump will scrap 

the North American 

Free Trade Agreement. 

"Canada has benefited 

from NAFTA, the United 

States has benefited from 

NAFTA and Mexico has 

benefited from NAFTA," 

he said Wednesday. 

"To put all that in the 

garbage, I don't think that 

will happen tomorrow." 

The former prime minister 

said there have always 

been trade problems but 

that they are solved on a 

case-by-case basis. 

"We have almost $2 

billion in business every 

day with the Americans, 

so there's problems that 

need to be resolved and 

things have to be modernized 

and adjusted to 

new realities," he said. 

Chretien also pointed to 

the Canada-U.S. auto pact, 

which was signed in 1965, 

as further evidence of the 

benefits of the two countries 

working together. 

He said Canada 

shared factories and jobs 

with the Americans under 

the agreement. The 

auto pact was cancelled 

in 2001 after it was found 

to be contrary to international 

trade rules. 

Chretien noted that 

Trump has his own trade 

issues to deal with. "Take 

Iowa, which voted for 

Trump," he said. "It sells 

a big part of their agricultural 

products to Mexico." 

Chretien admitted 

the U.S. president never 

ceases to amaze him on a 

regular basis. "Yes, he surprises 

every morning," he 

said, adding he's not interested 

in keeping up with 

his tweets. 

Chretien made his 

comments to reporters 

at a luncheon held by 

the Quebec branch of the 

Association of Fundraising 

Professionals. The 

organization handed out 

nine awards to several 

individuals and companies 

for their outstanding 

volunteer and financing 

campaigns. 

classified 

CRA asks PayPal to disclose records of Canadians 

• Looking for a suitable professional match for a 

Ghumiar Sikh boy, 29/5'-11", Pharmacist, Permanent 

resident Canada, Please Contact @647-718-4900; +91- 

9815402919, Email:sukhdevjeor@yahoo.ca 

• Match for good looking Ramgarhia Sikh clean shaven 

boy. 06' 03" 31 years. India born canadian citizen. 

Own business. No bars. Email pictures and biodata to : 

jpsingh3644@gmail.com or call 647-991-4575 

• Seeking a suitable match for a 26 year old Jatt Sikh 

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management. Indian born and citizen, visiting Canada till 

September 2017. Looking for Indian born Canadian PR or 

citizen girl. Contact 416-659-1581. 

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looking for Canadian PR or Citizen girl from Canada. 

The boy is in Canada these days on visitor visa. For 

more info call 1-403-460-9343 or 1-587-707-9343 

Agencies 

CALGARY: The records of Canadians who 

use PayPal business accounts to make and 

receive payments will soon be in the hands 

of the federal government's tax-collecting 

agency. The online payments company 

said Wednesday it has been given 45 days 

to hand over information identifying its account 

holders and the amount and number 

of payments they paid or received between 

Jan. 1, 2014, and last Friday to the Canada 

Revenue Agency. "We are required to disclose 

information about business account 

holders who have received or sent a payment," 

it says on its website. "Affected account 

holders have been notified." 

CRA spokesman Patrick Samson confirmed 

that the agency received Federal 

Court of Canada authorization to request 

the information, part of a crackdown on 

Canada's underground economy. 

"Specifically, the CRA is seeking Pay- 

Pal's list of Canadian clients who have a 

commercial account, including the total 

value of their transactions (purchases and 

sales) from 2014 to the date of the requirement," 

he said. 

"The information obtained through the 

unnamed persons requirement will allow 

the CRA to ensure that these individuals 

and corporations comply with their tax obligations 

under the Income Tax Act." 

PayPal Canada says it has more than 6.4 

million active users, although that includes 

personal accounts which are not affected 

by the CRA move. Hussein Warsame, a tax 

professor with the University of Calgary's 

School of Public Policy, linked the data grab 

to the federal government's 2017 budget, 

which provided a five-year funding boost to 

the CRA to fight tax evasion by investigating 

the underground economy. "They think 

people who use PayPal are probably avoiding 

tax and therefore they're using the extra 

funding to basically look for low-hanging 

fruit," he said. "It is a fishing expedition, in 

many ways." He said the agency is likely 

offering the 45-day window to allow people 

who haven't paid their taxes as required to 

file tax revision forms and come back into 

compliance with the tax act. 

Warsame said the files could allow the 

CRA to identify people who have had more 

than $30,000 in business revenue over 12 

months, which means they should be registered 

to collect and remit the GST.





TORONTO: An electri- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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The International News Weekly BOLLYWOOD 


Aditi Rao stands 

by Bhansali on 

'Padmavati' row 


MUMBAI: Actress Aditi Rao Hydari, who plays a pivotal role in Sanjay Leela 

Bhansali's directorial "Padmavati", says we should be proud of the filmmaker and 

give him space to create "the amazing work". 

"There is no fear and one shouldn't be scared either because I think this is 

a democratic country and everybody should be allowed to make films they 

want to make," said Aditi on the "Padmavati" controversy at the screening 

of film 'Tumhari Sulu' on Wednesday. 

"We should be proud of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He is a great filmmaker 

(but) instead of being proud of him, we are forcing him to defend himself and 

his film. I think that is very sad," she added. 

Aditi also feels that one should be proud of the fact that artists like Bhansali 

make such beautiful movies. "We are so lucky to have such amazing artists in our 

country. We should value them and give them the space to create the amazing work that 

they create instead of making it so difficult for them. "We put them through so much and 

we try to oppress them despite that, they are so amazing and passionate. They continue to 

make these films and art that they are so passionate about. I think we should support them," 

added the actress. 

Karni Sena is demanding ban on the film but Aditi is confident that the movie will release. 

"Film will definitely release. I have complete faith in the system and the people of this country. 

People are spreading rumors about the film saying it has this or that but there is nothing like 

that in the film," said the "Bhoomi" actress. 

"Padmavati" features Deepika Padukone in the title role as Rani Padmavati, alongside Shahid 

Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji with Aditi Rao 

Hydari and Jim Sarbh in supporting roles. The film is scheduled for release on December 1. 

Aaradhya's brings happiness in our home: Amitabh 

Agencies 

MUMBAI: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says that his 

granddaughter Aaradhya's presence brings a lot of happiness 

in their home and life. 

On Aaradhya's 6th birthday on Thursday , Big B wrote 

on his blog: "Her presence makes the happiness in our 

home and in the environ she presents herself in as ever 

bright and sprightly and one of maturity beyond." Amitabh, 

75, also shared a photograph of Aaradhya on Twitter 

on Wednesday night. In the image, she is seen holding 

a poster of herself and smiling towards the camera. 

"When she shall tell us how much she has grown. It's 

actually 6 years but it's 60 for most of us...," Big B captioned 

the image. Aaradhya is the daughter of actress 

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and actor Abhishek Bachchan, 

who tied the knot in 2007. 

On the professional front, Amitabh currently has two 

films in his kitty -- "Thugs Of Hindostan" and "102 Not 

Out". 

Bombshell Namitha to tie the knot on Nov 24 

Agencies 

MUMBAI: South Indian bombshell 

actress Namitha is all set to tie the 

knot. The sultry actress is getting 

married on November 24 to her boyfriend 

Veerandra Chowdhary who is 

known as Veer. Veer is a film producer 

as well as an actor. 

Namitha broke millions of hearts 

by announcing her marriage through 

a YouTube video. ``Veer and I are getting 

married on November 24th at 

Tirupati,’’ Namitha also confirmed to 

Deccan Chronicle. 

"It is a love- cum-arranged marriage. 

Our best friend Sashidhar 

Babu introduced us last year in September 

and slowly, we became good 

friends,'' the actress said. 

Namitha said Veer took the initiative 

to propose to her. ``On September 

6, 2017, he popped the question very 

romantically on the beach, where 

he had arranged a candle light dinner 

for us. I was completely taken by 

surprise, as I did not expect it! That’s 

how it started.” 

She said her would-be husband is 

her best buddy and soulmate. 

“We share similar life goals and 

we both are spiritually awakened. We 

love travelling, especially trekking 

and being one with nature. Also, we 

love animals and we both are passionate 

about life itself. I feel blessed to be 

with someone, who makes me his priority. 

There was no running-chasing 

game. In the last three months, the 

more I understood him, the more I felt 

lucky to even be with him. My faith in 

men is restored again with his gentle 

care and support.” 

Priyanka cuts her hair 

short for Quantico 3 

Agencies 

The whole world knows that Priyanka Chopra 

works hard and despite her busy schedule the actor 

doesn't leave a single chance to keep us updated on 

what she is up to. PeeCee, who is currently busy shooting 

for her TV show 'Quantico' in the United States, 

shared a picture on her Instagram page, which has 

made everyone curious to know about her new look. 

In the snap, the 'Bajirao Mastani' star has shown 

her strands of hair lying on the floor which indicates 

that she has chopped her long locks. 

She captioned the image, "Bye bye long hair. 

What's the Alex Parrish look for season 3. You'll find 

out soon!!" For the first two seasons, Priyanka kept her 

look pretty much the same. Besides 'Quantico', the Bollywood 

diva will be starring in two Hollywood projects, 

'A Kid Like Jake' which stars Jim Parsons and Octavia 

Spencer and 'Isn't It Romantic?' which stars Rebel Wilson, 

Adam Devine and Liam Hemsworth. Priyanka has 

not yet announced her Bollywood projects.

The International News Weekly Sports 

21 


Ganguly praised Virat by standing by Dhoni 

Agencies 

KOLKATA: Former Indian 

cricket captain Sourav 

Ganguly is all praise for 

Virat Kohli for standing by 

ageing wicket-keeper MS 

Dhoni who is under fire for 

his lacklustre performance 

against New Zealand in the 

last T20 series. 

Many former cricketers 

have questioned 

Dhoni’s place in the team. 

But speaking at a book 

launch event here, Ganguly 

praised Virat Kohli for 

standing by Dhoni. 

“I keep saying about 

MS Dhoni and what I see 

of Virat on MS is fantastic. 

A champion player who’s 

probably on his last leg of 

his career and Virat coming 

and saying that he’s 

my man and I want him 

to play. You just change 

a player,’’ Ganguly remarked. 

He said, ``I don’t know 

what he does inside dressing 

room or what he does 

tactically, as I’m too far 

away (from the team). I 

don’t know what he speaks 

in team meetings but the 

way he looks after his players 

is remarkable.'' 

Ganguly said Virat is 

one of the best players India 

has produced in a long 

time. “I like Virat Kohli 

and when I see him on the 

field, I sit on my sofa and 

watch. I’ve said it many 

times he’s a champion 

player. When I see him 

captaining India, he wants 

to win in all conditions. 

He’s very passionate.'' 

Serena weds Reddit co-founder 

American tennis star Serena Williams, 36, married 

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian,34, in New Orleans on 

Thursday, just 11 weeks after she gave birth to the couple’s 

first daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. 

The wedding, which reportedly cost over a million 

dollar, was attended by their celebrity friends, including 

Beyoncé, Jay Z and Kris Jenner. Vogue magazine bought 

the exclusive rights for photos of the event. 

Pacer Ishant Sharma 

released from Indian team 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: Senior paceman 

Ishant Sharma was 

on Thursday released from 

the India Test squad for the 

first Test against Sri Lanka, 

which is currently being 

played at the Eden Gardens 

in Kolkata. 

The 29-year-old seamer 

will represent Delhi in their 

upcoming Ranji Trophy 

game against Maharashtra, 

starting on Friday, after 

which he will rejoin the India 

side for the second Test 

starting on November 24 at 

Nagpur. "Fast bowler Ishant 

Sharma has been released 

from the Indian Test Team 

currently playing the first 

match of the Test series 

against Sri Lanka in Kolkata," 

a BCCI statement confirmed. 

"Sharma will take part in 

Delhi's upcoming Ranji Trophy 

match to be played at the 

Airforce Complex ground, 

Palam, New Delhi against 

Maharashtra. He will rejoin 

the squad for the Nagpur 

Test," the statement added. 

Ishant, who has played 

three matches for Delhi taking 

12 wickets so far, will 

take over the reins of the 

state side from wicketkeeper-bat 

Rishabh Pant. 

Italy football coach fired after 

exit from world cup 

Agencies 

ROME: Two days after Italy failed to 

qualify for the World Cup, the head of 

the country's football federation fired 

national coach Gian Piero Ventura 

— while ignoring angry calls to quit 

his own job. Ventura left in disgrace 

Wednesday, widely criticized for his 

tactical decisions that left Italy out of 

football's biggest competition for the 

first time in six decades. 

"I spoke with Ventura today and 

told him that his services are no longer 

needed," federation president Carlo 

Tavecchio said in a brief statement to 

reporters, adding that he would propose 

a series of reforms to improve the 

country's most popular sport. 

Four-time champion Italy lost a 

playoff to Sweden, 1-0 on aggregate, 

on Monday. Ventura's contract was 

recently extended to 2020 but the deal 

included a stipulation that it could be 

voided in case of a failed qualification. 

Carlo Ancelotti, who was fired by 

Bayern Munich in September, was being 

mentioned by Italian media as a 

likely replacement but no new coach 

was immediately named. "We also 

thought about some important coaches 

and we'll try to possibly sign one of 

them," Tavecchio said. Damiano Tommasi, 

president of the Italian players association, 

abandoned a summit called 

to assess the failed qualification once 

he understood that Tavecchio would 

not step down. "We believe we've got to 

start the rebuilding process with elections," 

Tommasi said. "It doesn't seem 

like there's any desire to restart from 

zero. 

"The problems of Italian football 

can't be resolved with just the firing of 

the national team coach," added Tommasi, 

who played for Italy and helped 

Roma win the 2001 Serie A title. "Otherwise 

we'll continue to re-mix the same 

minestrone that has caused indigestion 

for so many of us." Tavecchio said he 

called a board meeting for Monday to 

present his reforms, adding that they 

will affect the domestic leagues. Ventura 

was hired last year when Antonio Conte 

left the national team to coach Chelsea 

after the European Championship. 

South Africa tour will be India's real challenge: Russel Arnold 

Agencies 

Kolkata: Former Sri Lanka 

batsman Russel Arnold on 

Thursday said India's real 

challenge will be on the road 

starting with their tour of 

South Africa in January next 

year. "I think it's the right 

way forward. As I said India 

have depth. They should look 

at ways to try and better their 

game because the real challenge 

is on the road. And looking 

at where the two teams are, 

India trying to do this is probably 

the right decision," Arnold 

told reporters when asked 

about India taking the Sri 

Lanka series as preparation to 

the Proteas challenge. Arnold, 

part of the commentary panel, 

was speaking on the sidelines 

of the India-Sri Lanka first 

Test which got delayed by four 

hours due to rain and wet outfield 

at the Eden Gardens. India 

play South Africa in three 

Tests, six One-Day internationals 

and three T20s starting 

January 5 in Cape Town. 

Later in 2018, India go to 

England to play five Tests, 

three ODIs and three T20s. 

Asked on Sri Lanka recovering 

from the 9-0 drubbing at 

the hands of India in their own 

lair before taking on the same 

opponent, Arnold said: "It is a 

massive challenge initially for 

them to forget history because 

even in the past India has been 

a very difficult place to travel 

even fpr better Sri Lankan 

teams. 

"So I think the initial challenge 

is to forget that. to forget 

how intimidating India have 

been in the recent past, or over 

here in India and focus inside. 

Try and perform to the best 

of your own ability and take 

things forward. 

"You got to be realistic of 

where the two teams are. India 

are in a very good space. The 

envy of a lot of other teams because 

of how good they are and 

the depth they have. But on 

the other hand you got to believe 

that you can do well and 

initially try and play to your 

potential." 

On out-of-form batsman 

Kusal Mendis being rested for 

the series and how does that affect 

the confidence of a young 

player like him, Arnold said: 

"You can go either way. Kusal 

Mendis has been struggling 

with his form and the way he 

has been batting in all formats. 

"The last notable innings 

was the hundred he scored 

against India. He is a young 

player and you could also 

argue gving him a break, to 

freshen up, to work on any 

little issues he might have is a 

good way forward. 

"So only time will tell. Sri 

Lanka have opted for the latter, 

giving him time to recover. 

You are on the road and not always 

do you get the time to focus 

on little things that may go 

wrong with your life or even 

your game." 

Arnold backed India allrounder 

Hardik Pandya being 

rested, saying to manage 

workloads it is necessary. 

"Just as Kusal Mendis. Players 

are on the road all the time, 

playing all the time so it's good 

to take a break. In different 

circumstances Hardik Pandya 

has been rested. Kusal Mendis 

is not exactly rested, he has 

been given an opportunity to 

refresh himself. In managing 

your players workloads this 

decision had to be made," Arnold 

said. 

On Wednesday, Virat 

Kohli said that fans might be 

driven away due to overdose 

of cricket and playing the 

same opposition twice in three 

months. Asked the same, Arnold 

echoed the India skipper. 

"It is true because in the past 

when you are playing one series 

you looked forward to it. 

Now you are playing constant 

cricket and that can become 

boring and can take the buzz 

away. But different opposition 

is what's keeping it alive. 

"So when you are playing 

the same opposition too much 

and you got to be honest it was 

a bit predictable, what happened 

in Sri Lanka. So therefore 

I can understand what he 

is exactly trying to say," the 

former Sri Lanka cricketer 

said. 

On the new high-power 

committee formed by Sri Lanka 

cricket to arrest the recent 

slump in form, Arnold said 

it is needed as the transition 

after the likes of Mahela Jayawardene 

and Kumar Sangakkara 

resigned has not worked 

so far. "In Sri Lanka, the fault 

in not only the Indian series 

but over the last year or so, you 

have to make a few changes. 

Because the transition is not 

working.

The International News Weekly November 17, 2017 | Toronto 22


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