The Canadian Parvasi - Issue 23

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Issue No : 22 

Email: editor@canadianparvasi.com Contact Number : 905-673-0600 December 01, 2017 | Pages 24 

Jagmeet says 

Indigenous languages 

ignored in Canada 

Agencies 

OTTAWA: NDP Leader Jagmeet 

Singh was forced Wednesday 

to claw back a suggestion 

bilingualism requirements 

for Supreme Court justices be 

waived to encourage Indigenous 

candidates. Singh had made 

the suggestion earlier in the 

day after judge and educator 

Sheilah Martin was nominated 

to fill an upcoming vacancy on 

the top court, disappointing 

Continued on page 02 

Sikh extremists abroad 

behind Punjab killings: NIA 

Indo-Asian News Service 

Patrick Brown promises lower auto insurance, 

more hospital beds for Peel Region 

The Canadian Parvasi 

TORONTO : Ontario Progressive Conservative 

leader Patrick Brown says if he is voted to 

power, his government will stop discriminatory 

auto insurance rates in the 905 region. 

Speaking to Parvasi Radio, Brown said, "I 

will ask the insurance regulator to allow no 

longer geographical discrimination. Kathleen 

Wynne has quietly allowed this to happen.’’ 

He said it was not fair to discriminate 

against residents of Peel Region."If you are in 

Peel, your auto insurance rates are high. It is 

not right,’‘ Brown said. 

The Conservative leader said he will also 

introduce tax credits for winter tyres to help 

people of Peel region to get lower auto insurance. 

"I will bring in winter tyre tax credits because 

you get lower insurance rates if you have 

winter tyres. But for some people who can’t afford 

winter tyres, we will bring in tax credits 

I am ready to pay political price 

to change India, says Modi 

Actors are 

perceived as 

magicians in 

India, but 

performers 

in West: Irrfan 

Page 17 

for them so that they can get lower insurance 

rates,’’ he said. 

About the overcrowding in hospitals in Peel 

region, he said though the health care system 

faced overcrowding all over Ontario, it was 

very acute in the 905 region. 

He said his government will systematically 

address this problem. 

Listing the steps he will take to sort out the 

problem, Brown said, "We are going to build 

20,000 long-term care beds because currently 

20 percent of hospitals have people waiting in 

beds. They need care in long-term homes. But 

because there are no long-term care homes, 

these people sit in hospitals ...our long-term 

care investment will take a lot pressure off hospitals.’’ 

Additionally, he said, his government’s 

commitment to mental health care will help 

hospitals have enough mental health workers. 


India's Re 1 note 

completes 100 years 

NEW DELHI: The National 

Investigation Agency 

(NIA) on Thursday 

said that Sikh extremist 

elements living abroad, 

including Pakistan and 

Britain, were behind the 

murder of RSS leader Ravinder 

Gosain in Ludhiana 

and over half a dozen 

incidents of murder and 

attempt to murder of 

right-wing leaders, aimed 

at destabilising Punjab. 

The anti-terror agency's 

revelation comes 

within two weeks of its 

investigation into the killing 

of Gosain, 60, who was 

fired at by two bike-borne 

assailants on October 17 

near his house while returning 

after attending 

a morning RSS drill. He 

died on the spot. 

The NIA, which took 

over the case following a 

November 16 order issued 

by the Union Home Ministry, 

said the questioning 

of two arrested accused 

persons -- Ramandeep 

Singh and Hardeep Singh 

-- by Punjab Police and 

further investigation in 

the case revealed the conspiracy. 

The NIA had taken 

custody of Ramandeep 

and Hardeep from Punjab 

Police on November 22. 



NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi on Thursday said opposition 

criticism won't deter him 

from his government's war against 

corruption and black money as he 

was willing to pay any political 

price for the steps he had taken to 

weed out graft. 

Addressing the opening session 

of the Hindustan Times Leadership 

Summit here, Modi said 

his government was committed to 

developing a development-centric 

eco system which is free of graft 

and is people-centric. 

"I am aware of the political 

price I will have to pay for the 

steps taken by the government 

but I am ready for it," he said, referring 

to demonetisation and the 

implementation of the Goods and 

Services Tax as measures to tackle 

graft and black money. 



NEW DELHI: Its value has eroded over its 

lifetime of a century. Today, a rupee can 

buy very little, may be a toffee. Yet, this 

sturdy currency has survived two world 

wars, regularly shedding value till it has 

practically gone out of use. 

The British government introduced 

the one rupee note on November 30, 1917. 

Currency notes were introduced in India 

in 1861. Silver coins, including one rupee 

ones, were in existence for very long, 

some being traced to Sher Shah Suri's reign 

in 1540. The one rupee paper currency, issued 

as a promissory note, was printed in 

England and depicted a silver coin image 

of King George V on the left corner. The 

words 'I promise to pay the bearer the sum 

of One Rupee on demand at any office of issue' 

was printed on it. 


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The International News Weekly REGIONAL 

December 01, 2017 | Toronto 02 

Gurpreet's motion 

to cut senior bus 

pass rates denied 

BRAMPTON: Councillor Gurpreet Dhillon has expressed 

his disappointment in Council’s decision to deny his motion 

to be considered in the City of Brampton’s 2018 budget. 

The motion would have reduced the seniors’ monthly bus 

pass rate from $52.00 to $15.00 with no immediate cost or 

negative budget impact. 

“This proposal was cost neutral and also satisfied an 

increasing need,” said Councillor Dhillon. “With auto 

insurance, gas prices, taxes, and the cost of living all skyrocketing, 

this motion would have helped a vulnerable and 

growing sector of society,” said Councillor Dhillon. The 

motion outlined that the approximate $75,000 annual shortfall 

for the new rate would have been funded for a period of 

four years by transferring the 2017 Façade Program’s remaining 

budget of $300,000, and any costs thereafter to be 

absorbed by future transit revenue growth. 

The Façade Program, which Councillor Dhillon has 

continuously opposed due to it favouring downtown businesses 

only, funds the cosmetic changes to businesses in 

the downtown core by providing grants to land and business 

owners. 

“I don’t understand why Council did not see the immediate 

need for investing in reducing seniors’ transit costs, 

while they continue to waste millions on initiatives like 

the Façade Program, raising their own salaries and pensions, 

and giving $1.5 million to a private hockey team,” 

said Councillor Dhillon. “Our seniors deserve better. 

“With more and more of our seniors being forced to work, 

or solely depending on Old Age Security and pensions, getting 

by is becoming a challenge for them. This proposal 

would have helped their pocket books, as well as allowing 

them to become more active and socially engaged in the 

community.” 

Patrick Brown promises 

12% cut in hydro bills 


MISSISSAUGA: Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown has 

promised to lower the average hydro bill by an additional 

12 percent if his party forms the next government. Speaking 

in Burlington yesterday, Brown said this will save $173 per 

household annually. 

Laying it out as part of his Ontario PC plan, Brown 

said under Kathleen Wynne hydro rates have tripled. 

As a result, families now pay $1,000 more than when the 

Liberals took office. He said the Liberals have accepted 

$1.3 million in donations from companies who received 

thousands of energy contracts. These "sweetheart deals'' 

have resulted in families overpaying by $9.2 billion for 

hydro. 

Kathleen Wynne also sold off the publicly-owned 

Hydro One in a fire sale to reward her donors and 

friends. 

Sahara Senior Services 

celebrated Diwali 

Sahara Senior Services 

Club celebrated Diwali 

on Friday November10th, 

2017. It was beautifully 

organized by the club organizers 

in Royal Banquet 

Hall and was celebrated 

with great hustle and 

bustle.MP Gagan Sikand, 

Honor. MPP Dipika Damerla, 

MPP Amrit Mangat, 

Nina Tangri, Bernard 

Jordan and many more 

leaders were present at 

this celebration. Ashok 

Bharti and Sushma Aggarwal 

introduced each other 

and Ashok Bharti introduced 

Urmil Sandhawalia. 

Club’s Vice President Urmil 

Sandhawalia honored 

and thanked all the guests 

and praised President 

Narinder Singh Dhuga’s 

hard work and efforts in 

establishing Sahara Senior 

Services Club. She 

also praised Manjit Dhuga 

for working very hard and 

for organizing our events. 

President Narinder 

Dhuga honored and 

thanked all the guests. He 

thanked Diwali Committee 

for working so hard so 

that we all could enjoy a 

well-planned Diwali event. 

He also gave introduction 

on Diwali Festival and 

proudly stated that Sahara 

Senior Services represents 

more female members 

than male members. 

Sumesh Nanda took group 

pictures for all of them. 

Diwali Dyas were lit up 

by MP Gagan Sikand, Honor. 

MPP Dipika Damerla, 

MPP Amrit Mangat, Nina 

Tangri, Bernard Jordan 

and by Club’s Board of Directors. 

Sumesh Nanda 

took pictures of all beautiful 

moments. 

MP Gagan Sikand, MPP 

Dipika Damerla, MPP Amrit 

Mangat, Nina Tangri 

and Bernard Jordan spoke 

highly about Sahara Senior 

Services Club and appreciated 

its uniqueness 

as it holds large number of 

women as club members. 

They all praised Narinder 

Dhuga’s hard work and efforts 

in collaboration with 

members in starting Sahara 

Senior Services Club 

and growing it day by day. 

Jagmeet says Indigenous languages ignored in Canada 

Continued from page 01 

some who had hoped an 

Indigenous candidate would 

be chosen. But after his idea 

generated friction within his own 

caucus, Singh issued a statement 

to clarify he "strongly" believes 

that Supreme Court justices 

be bilingual with a functional 

understanding of both French 

and English, adding it is the only 

way to ensure Canadians access 

justice in an official language. 

Indigenous rights must also 

be recognized and defended, 

Singh said, noting Indigenous 

languages have historically 

been "grossly overlooked" in 

Canadian institutions. "I am 

open to hearing suggestions of 

how to remain fully committed 

to bilingual judges while 

supporting the advancement 

of judges from Indigenous 

communities," he said. "It's my 

sincere hope that we will see, in 

near future, a Supreme Court 

Justice from a First Nation, 

Metis or Inuit background." 

Earlier on Wednesday, 

Singh said there needs to 

be an understanding of the 

unique situation Indigenous 

communities have faced and 

a recognition of Indigenous 

languages. "I would say in general 

our position as a party is that we 

support bilingualism," Singh 

said. "It's important as a nation 

that has two official languages 

that we support bilingualism 

with respect to judges but there is 

a specific case to be made for the 

Indigenous community." 

The remarks touched off 

pushback from NDP MPs. 

"That is not a position of 

the NDP," Quebec lieutenant 

Alexandre Boulerice said. "He 

knows it ... but we are ready 

to work with anybody from 

the Aboriginal community to 

... see how we can integrate 

more efficiently Aboriginal 

languages." NDP justice critic 

Murray Rankin said Singh's 

original comments were not 

in keeping with the NDP's 

position stipulating judges must 

be bilingual to sit on Canada's 

top court. The party's official 

languages critic had put forward a 

private members' bill to enshrine 

the bilingual requirement into 

law but it was defeated."We are 

trying essentially deal with two 

streams of rights," Rankin said. 

"The need to be more 

representative, particularly for 

the Indigenous ... legal traditions 

on the court and at the same 

time, an ironclad commitment 

to bilingualism which the NDP 

has long had as its policy." 

Justice Minister Jody Wilson- 

Raybould, who is Aboriginal, 

said Wednesday she suspects 

many current Indigenous judges 

will apply for positions on the top 

court in the future. 

All the leaders gave their 

blessings for club’s growth 

and success. Congratulations 

certificates were 

received from MP Gagan 

Sikand, MPP Dipika Damerla, 

Ontario PC Leader 

Patrick Brown and Premier 

of Ontario Kathleen 

Wynne. 

Maninder Kalra, Roop 

Kahlon, Surinder Dhami 

and Jyotsna Davda presented 

Arti Song from a 

Film. It was recited very 

well. 

Sukhpal Chodda and 

Kuldip Gosal performed 

solo dance with their favorite 

songs. 

Mohini Bharti sang 

her favorite song. Rekha 

Uppal and Suman Sodhi 

danced with a beautiful 

song from a Mughal-E- 

Azam movie. It was enjoyed 

by everyone. 

“Hips Don’t Lie” Bollywood 

Dance was presented 

by three girls who were 

enjoyed and appreciated 

by everyone. 

Punjabi Gidha with 

Bolian was presented 

by Sukhpal Chodda, 

Maninder Kalra, Rekha 

Uppal, Surinder Dhami, 

Roop Kahlon and Jyotsna 

Davda. 

Sukhraj Nijjar sang 

Hindi and Punjabi songs 

with his band which were 

enjoyed and appreciated 

by everyone. Dance floor 

was full. 

The door prizes were 

drawn which were enjoyed 

by all the winners. 

Dance floor was filled 

with dance lovers as DJ 

was played and everyone 

had a chance to dance and 

to enjoy the rest of the evening. 

Sumesh Nanda captured 

every beautiful moment 

with his photography. 

Everyone enjoyed tasty 

snacks and dinner. 

(For any information about 

Sahara Senior Services, 

visit our website at 

www.saharaseniorservices.com 

or email tosaharass2015@ 

gmail.com 

or Call Narinder Dhuga at 

416-985-5336) 

Sikh extremists abroad 

behind Punjab killings: NIA 


NIA officials said the arrested shooters have 

admitted their involvement in the killing of Gosain 

as well as in seven other incidents of murder or attempted 

to murder in Punjab that have taken place 

since January 2016. The killing of the RSS leader 

was the latest in a series of murderous attacks on 

right-wing and religious leaders in Punjab. "Targets 

in these incidents generally were members of 

the RSS and Hindu organisations." In July 2017, the 

shooters also murdered a Christian pastor named 

Sultan Masih in Ludhiana, the officials said. They 

said a conspiracy to "destabilize Punjab has been 

hatched by Sikh extremist elements and others 

located in various parts of the world including the 

United Kingdom, France, Italy, United Arab Emirates 

and Pakistan". "The investigation conducted so 

far has revealed channelling of funds from foreign 

countries for execution of these incidents.

The International News Weekly December 01, 2017 | Toronto 

03 

Joyeeta Dutta Ray 

Contributing Editor 

Toronto has always been a 

magnet for new immigrants. 

Some come here to escape 

bullets. Some come to fill up 

their wallets. Some are here to 

breathe in unpolluted air. 

Over the last few years however, 

more and more skilled immigrants 

have traded their Permanent 

Resident garlands for a 

rosy life elsewhere. 

The Toronto Star reports 

that every province and territory 

except for Ontario, saw immigration 

numbers rise drastically. 

Whereas in Ontario, the 

numbers dropped from 133,600 

to 99,500. 

The reason is almost always 

one of the two: Unemployment 

or underemployment! 

This was seldom the case 

even a couple of decades back. 

When Mila Lebuda fled to 

Toronto from communist Poland 

in 1991 at the age of 21, 

the country embraced her with 

open arms. It did not matter 

that she did not speak English 

or that she didn’t have much 

work experience. The grounds 

for adopting her were purely 

humanitarian. 

“Canada gave me a new 

lease of life” she says. This is 

where she met her future husband, 

Vlad Lebuda another 

Polish immigrant like her. She 

made money as a caregiver. He 

drove a truck. As finances improved, 

their lifestyle did too. 

For Mila, the biggest barrier 

was language. Once that hurdle 

was crossed, life was sunshine 

and tulips. 

However, not everyone finds 

the same success in Canada! 

Mila’s tech-savvy Polish 

friend, Aron* (named changed 

for privacy) had higher ambitions. 

He went back to Poland 

as soon as conditions improved. 

“There are better opportunities 

there now. Despite living here 

for 10 years, he never got his 

due,” says Mila. 

Not surprising! Statistics 

Canada reports that even after 

being in Canada for 15 years, 

immigrants with a university 

degree are more likely than the 

native-born to be in low-skilled 

jobs. 

New Immigration 

Policies; New People 

There’s a shift in trends. As 

new policies replace older ones, 

immigrants flying in to Canada 

now, are visibly different than 

those who came in earlier. 

They are better educated, better 

versed in English and better 

positioned professionally. 

There’s a reason behind 

that. Earlier Canada took in 

more unskilled workers to meet 

economic needs. But recruitment 

efforts for skilled workers, 

entrepreneurs and investors 

are the need of the hour 

now. “Since 2006, the government 

has made dramatic changes 

to the federal skilled workers 

program by raising language 

requirements, restricting eligibility 

to specific professions 

and pre-screening applicants’ 

foreign credentials”, says the 

Toronto Star. 

Yet, these very skilled immigrants 

are the ones who are 

having it rough. 

For Roopa Rakshit who 

moved with her husband and 

12 year old son to Thunder Bay 

(Ontario) from Thailand in 

2012, migration was a decision 

based on being located closer to 

their daughter who was studying 

in UBC, Vancouver. 

It was an intimidating prospect 

at a stage in their lives 

when they were well-settled 

professionally. But they were 

confident that their international 

resumes would open 

doors. They were in for a surprise! 

It took Roopa 4 years to find 

a job suited to her skills. “I was 

an environmentalist in a United 

Nations affiliated organization 

in my previous life (Bangkok). 

While my International experience 

was appreciated, I was 

made to realize that I fell short 

of the “Canadian experience.“ 

In the race to build her 

“Canadianess”, Roopa sprinted 

on the volunteering path, 

networked along the way and 

picked up a scholarship for 

PHD at Lakehead University. 

That was the trophy that gave 

her the much needed break. “It 

was my research topic on energy 

planning with the First Nations 

people that led me to my 

current job in a First Nations 

Technical Services Organization.” 

Malak Ahmed, who moved 

from Egypt in August 2016 with 

her husband and three daughters, 

has a similar story. She 

was a Business Unit Director 

in a leading advertising agency 

in Cairo. Despite her fancy title 

and a McGill Graduate Certificate, 

no employer was ready to 

lay out the red carpet for her. 

“While I did expect to work 

my way up, I didn’t expect to 

stumble so many steps down 

the ladder in the process. I was 

surprised that a city that boasted 

of a high rate of immigration 

would put so much emphasis on 

'Canadian experience'!” 

To cross the barrier, her 

next step was to get an employment 

agency to rewrite her CV. 

That’s quite another story. 

The Great Canadian 

Resume 

Few countries have elevated 

the resume to such heights. 

It’s almost an art form here, 

based not on jotting down your 

skills but how strategically you 

phrase them. No matter how 

clipped your English, how impressive 

your name card or 

how many reference letters you 

come armed with, it’s hard for 

foreigners to master this skill. 

Only Canadians know the 

trick! They have ingeniously 

made a business out of it, creating 

employment for themselves 

to help clueless newcomers like 

Malak. 

When the planets finally 

aligned to bless her with a job, 

the pay didn’t match up to her 

qualifications. But despite it 

all, Malak chooses to stay on. 

“After the revolution in Cairo, 

the economy struggled and so 

did we. But it’s all been worthwhile. 

We like the cultural 

diversity here. The kids love 

their schools.” 

Easy to see how soaring cost 

of living, rising crime and jobs 

with unscrupulous hours in 

Cairo make Canada seem like 

Disneyland. 

For Alexa, who came from 

Honduras (Central America) 

to North York, the road was as 

rough. She arrived armed with 

a Bachelor’s degree in Business, 

a Masters in Marketing, 5 

years at an International Telecommunications 

company and 

dreams to make it big. None of 

these made things any easier! 

“I was a Marketing and 

Sales Manager at Huawei Technologies 

in Honduras. The biggest 

challenge for me was to 

start my career from the bottom 

up.” But she wouldn’t head 

back either. “Honduras is a 

small country where 50% of 

people live in poverty. There 

is a high rate of homicides and 

corruption.” In contrast, Canada 

offers commuting safety, 

free education and healthcare. 

The choice is clear! 

Escaping corruption was 

high on the list for Marcia to 

move from Brazil as well. She 

arrived with her husband in 

Toronto in 2016. “The social discrepancy 

of wealth makes for 

very dangerous streets, with 

thefts happening everywhere” 

she says. While it’s a dream to 

stroll around North America’s 

safest metropolitan“without 

fear of getting mugged”, the 

Marketing professional who 

worked for 9 years in a leading 

multinational company, found 

it hard to find a job. It took her 

3 months to find full-time employment 

and when she did, the 

job was an entry level position 

in Customer Service that paid 

less than she expected because 

of her lack of “Canadian Experience”. 

The Great Canadian Resumé 

“You feel like your experience 

in a foreign country is 

devalued because you haven’t 

applied it in Canada. Recruiters 

tend to disqualify you too”, 

she says. 

Canada: More dependent 

on new immigrants 

than ever 

Canada thrives on new immigrants 

to bring in the bucks. 

Estimates from the Conference 

Board of Canada reveal that 

if Canadian employers recognized 

and rewarded immigrant 

skills, the country would earn 

an additional $10 million annually. 

Instead, every year, Canada 

loses valuable doctors, engineers, 

accountants and marketing 

professionals to the USA, 

where “American Experience” 

is an unheard of criterion! 

While others take up blue collar 

jobs that don’t do justice to 

their skills. 

Local employers argue that 

“Canadian Experience” assures 

understanding of the soft skills 

essential for success here. 

However, it pays for them to 

remember that the Ontario Human 

Rights Code (OHRC) has 

laid down a strict declaration 

that “Canadian Experience” is 

discrimination and can only be 

used in very limited circumstances. 

Interestingly enough, 

smaller cities and rural areas 

in Canada have set a better example. 

In 2013, Moncton, New 

Brunswick ran career fairs 

that encouraged employers to 

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hire immigrants. In Manitoba 

the tiny cities of Winkler and 

Morden have not just drawn 

newcomers in large numbers 

with their successful immigration 

programs, but also helped 

them settle in to a quality lifestyle. 

How can Ontario follow 

suit? 

Roopa suggests, “Employers 

should be encouraged to accept 

professional immigrants to 

maximize on their experience. 

The integration can include 

in-house orientation.” Marcia 

agrees. “There should be more 

incentives from the government 

to encourage companies 

to hire qualified foreigners in 

appropriate positions. The success 

of the immigration policy 

should be measured not by the 

number of people who come in 

but by the number of people 

who stay on successfully in the 

country.” 

For a country that prides 

itself on being humanitarian, 

learning from the smaller 

towns and listening to the less 

heard voices could be the key 

to turning things around before 

an ageing population and 

shrinking birth rate get the better 

of the nation. 

(Joyeeta Dutta Ray is a freelance 

senior writer, editor and published 

author operating out of her own consultancy, 

Creative Joy. She can be 

reached on joyeeta.ray@gmail.com. 

Twitter handle: @joeyday20) 

(Credit Source: This article by 

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The International News Weekly REGIONAL 


Handi-Care Int. celebrates Ontario 150 with differently abled 

ETOBICOKE: Handi-Care Intl. 

a registered Canadian charity, 

celebrated Ontario 150 with 

children and youth with special 

needs from the South Asian 

community at the SVBF Community 

Center in Etobicoke on 

November 4. 

The program focused on promoting 

inclusiveness through 

arts. The event staged several 

performances by differently 

abled children and youth to 

showcase their talents that complemented 

the special month of 

November 2017 which has been 

declared as Autism Awareness 

Month. 

Ms Sulo Krishnamurthy, 

president of Handi-Care Intl., 

provided a short synopsis of the 

growth of the organization including 

the recent achievement 

in terms of having accredited 

clinical placements for graduate 

students from 8 Canadian 

universities. She mentioned that 

such placements have made a 

huge impact in rural India in 

areas of spinal cord injury rehabilitation 

, early intervention 

for children with disabilities and 

rehab of stroke patients. She also 

highlighted the charity’s recent 

Pics From Bashir Nasir 

initiative to provide support for 

a special SDR surgery and post 

surgery rehab for children from 

Ontario, with spasticity due to 

Cerebral Palsy. 

Markahm Councillo Nirmala 

Armstrong inaugurated 

the program and complimented 

the organizers and reinforced 

the importance for such causes 

to be taken up despite the pressures 

and demands of everyday 

life in order to make a valuable 

impact on society. The presence 

of Mr Shafiq Qaadri, MPP representing 

Etobicoke North in the 

Provincial Government, was an 

honour for the occasion and a 

testament of the strong support 

from the Government for such 

causes. 

Mr Karthik Ramalingam, 

founder of global fusion music 

ensemble, Vishwe-Mithraa, talked 

about the benefits of music on 

cognitive skills and a number of 

kids from his music school delivered 

performances to enthrall 

the audience. Several other 

dance, singing and instrumental 

performances by individuals 

and groups were well presented 

and well received. 

The event was supported by 

other charitable non-profit organizations 

such as ATI Foundation 

(Annai Thantha Illam) 

which empowers Canadian 

Tamils to realize their goals and 

South Asian Autism Awareness 

Center (SAAAC) and Comminity 

Living Mississauga. Several informational 

booths were set up 

for parents and activities areas 

kept children of various abilities 

engaged. (Press release) 

G1 test in Ontario now 

available in Urdu 


TORONTO: A southern Ontario college says it's investigating 

two incidents in which a television reporter says she 

was sexually harassed by students. There is good news for 

Urdu-speaking and writing people. 

From next spring, they can write knowledge test for 

their G1 licence in 

Urdu. Currently, the 

G1 knowledge test is 

available in 20 languages, 

including English 

and French. 

Minister of Transportation 

Steven Del 

Duca, who was accompanied 

Pakistani-origin Etobicoke North MPP Shafiq Qaadri, 

announced this on Wednesday. 

Making the G1 knowledge test available in more languages 

is part of Ontario's plan to create fairness and opportunity 

during this period of rapid economic change, 

said a government statement. The statement said that adding 

Urdu will support newcomers to Ontario in completing 

their tests, knowing and understanding the province's driving 

laws and gaining the experience required to drive safely 

in the province. 

Canada, Ontario to spend $91m to train newcomers 


TORONTO: The governments of 

Canada and Ontario signed a comprehensive 

agreement on immigration 

at Queen’s Park on Nov 24 to 

share their responsibilities towards 

the new immigrants. 

The Canada-Ontario Immigration 

Agreement (COIA), signed 

by federal immigration minister 

Ahmed Hussen and Ontario immigration 

minister Laura Albanese, 

outlines the roles and responsibilities, 

priorities in selection policy, 

attraction of French-speaking immigrants, 

and refugee settlement. 

The two government plan to 

spend $91 million on a new program 

to train newcomers to meet provincial 

requirements to find work in 

their profession. 

Canada plans to bring in one million 

immigrants by 2020, with Ontario 

as their first choice. 

The federal immigration said, 

“Ontario is the top destination for 

new permanent residents settling in 

Canada each year, typically exceeding 

100,000 newcomers. 

With the ambitious three-year 

levels plan we’ve established on immigration, 

the time is right to put 

a new agreement in place that defines 

how Canada and Ontario will 

work together to achieve our mutual 

goals.” 

Laura Albanese, Ontario Minister 

of Citizenship and Immigration, 

added, “Immigration is good for Ontario 

and good for Canada. 

The Canada-Ontario Immigration 

Agreement strengthens Ontario’s 

ability to partner with the 

federal government to attract skilled 

newcomers who will benefit our 

shared economies and contribute to 

Canada’s future prosperity.”

The International News Weekly CANADA 

December 01, 2017 | Toronto 

05 

U.S. governors tell Canada to 

relax duties on online purchases 

Agencies 

WASHINGTON: Canada is being 

pressed for freer trade in online 

goods by a number of American 

states, with eight state governors 

writing a letter seeking an expansion 

of Canada's low limits for online 

duty-free purchases. 

Their letter to Foreign Affairs 

Minister Chrystia Freeland and 

U.S. trade czar Robert Lighthizer 

says the NAFTA talks are an opportunity 

to review the $20 limit 

for what Canadians can buy online 

without paying duties on foreign 

goods. Canada has one of the strictest 

duty-free limits in the world for 

online goods — a mere fraction of 

the $800 Americans can spend on 

sites like Amazon and eBay without 

paying an import fee. 

"Canada's ... threshold remains 

among the lowest in the industrialized 

world," says the Nov. 21 letter, 

signed by the governors of Connecticut, 

Massachusetts, Maine, 

Maryland, Montana, Oregon, Utah 

and Virginia. 

"Canada's low threshold for the 

collection of duty and tax creates 

unnecessary price increases for 

Canadian consumers and hinders 

North American manufacturers' 

supply chains on both sides of our 

shared border... "A modernization 

of the Canadian de minimis level 

would be beneficial to both countries." 

Changing Canada's limit is 

a high priority for the U.S. side in 

NAFTA talks. 

An American source familiar 

with the talks tells The Canadian 

Press that's one reason the U.S. 

mentions the issue and sets a specific 

$800 target in its published list 

of negotiating objectives. 

The source says that while other 

U.S. demands are vaguely worded 

and devoid of hard numbers to 

leave negotiating room, the demand 

to change the limit — known as "de 

minimis" — is firm and unequivocal. 

In Canada, the debate pits importers 

versus bricks-and-mortar 

shops. Traditional retailers warn 

that domestic stores would be hit 

hard by a change in policy, as Canadian 

purchases would flow to retailers 

based outside the country. 

The Retail Council of Canada 

says it's unfair to compare the dutyfree 

levels between the countries, 

since the domestic tax burden is 

different on U.S. retailers. "There 

is no comparison between Canada 

and the U.S.," the council says on 

its website. "First, the United States 

does not have a federal sales tax, so 

there is no tax advantage created 

for inbound shipments. The U.S. 

also does not collect state and local 

sales taxes at the border or for interstate 

shipments." 

The U.S. also dominates the online 

retail space, the council notes: 

only 22 per cent of U.S. customers 

report having made a purchase 

from a foreign seller, compared 

with 67 per cent of Canadians. 

Sonia Sidhu 

welcomes 

immigration pact 


BRAMPTON: Welcoming the agreement on 

immigration between Canada and Ontario last 

week, Brampton South MP Sonia Sidhu says the 

Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA) 

creates a new framework to welcome and settle 

immigrants, boost the economy, and address 

shared humanitarian responsibilities. 

The governments of Canada and Ontario are 

working together to ensure the economic, social 

and cultural benefits of immigration are maximized 

in the province, Sidhu said in a statement. 

As part of the agreement, Canada and Ontario 

also announced a joint effort to help internationally 

trained newcomers meet provincial 

requirements to work in their profession. 

She said spending of $91 million on bridge 

training programs over the next three years - $70 

million from Ontario and up to $21 million from 

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - 

will help newcomers meet requirements to work 

in their occupation. 

The agreement was signed at Queen’s Park 

by Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees 

and Citizenship, andLaura Albanese, Ontario 

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. 

Canada would welcome one million new permanent 

residents by 2020, with Ontario as their 

top destination .

The International News Weekly REGIONAL/CANADA 


Nanda & Associate Lawyers celebrate Canada 150 


Pics From Bashir Nasir 

MISSISSAUGA: Nanda & Associate Lawyers celebrated 

their fifth annual gala as Canada’s 150th anniversary at the 

Embassy Grand in Brampton. 

Over 1,200 guests from the GTA and elsewhere joined 

the celebrations. Their diversity epitomized Canada’s diverse 

and accomplished communities. 

Among the prominent guests were NDP Leader Jagmeet 

Singh, federal science minister Kirsty Duncan, Mississauga 

Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Former Miss India Hasleen 

Kaur, MPs Shaun Chen, Iqra Khalid and Sonia Sidhu; MPP 

Harinder Malhi, and Indian Consul General Dinesh Bhatia. 

They were honoured for their community services. 

Speakers touched on the theme of Canada 150 and the 

opportunities afforded to them by this country, highlighting 

how Nanda and Associate Lawyers stood as an example 

of how those opportunities could transform a community. 

The guests were treated to a mixture of local and international 

entertainment. Those who performed included 

Canadian singer Jay Harmony, Dance Crew Shiamak Toronto, 

Indian artist Madhvi Shrivastav and a varied lineup 

of performers. 

Patrick Brown promises lower auto insurance, 

more hospital beds for Peel Region 


"By investing in mental health care, we will 

take pressure off the gridlock in the emergency 

room,’’ said Brown. He said he will also bring 

in low-income dental care program for seniors 

so that they don’t need to go to hospitals. Brown 

promised to invest $124 million to recreational 

and health facilities such as cricket pitches, 

hockey rinks and soccer and baseball fields to 

promote health and fitness among children as a 

preventive measure. 

"We will also bring in kids fitness tax credits 

so that kids who need help to pay for their 

sports, we will help them.’’ Brown, who has 

been to India 17 times, spoke about his special 

relationship with the Indo-Canadian community 

and India. "I have a special relationship 

with India. You don’t go to India if you don’t 

love the country, the people and its community 

here,’’ he said. Brown added, ``I have fallen in 

love with India - whether it is up in the Himalayas 

where I played ice hockey in Ladakh , or the 

backwater of Kerala that are such a magnetic 

beauty; whether it is the city that never sleeps 

- Mumbai - where I ran the Standard Chartared 

Bank marathon twice; whether it is culinary 

delights of Punjab - I love going to Amritsar, 

Chandigarh or Jalandhar; or whether it is the 

entrepreneurial spirit of Gujarat that is so phenomenal.’’ 

The PC leader said if he is elected he will further 

strengthen ties between Ontario and India. 

"I will make sure that the friendship between 

India and Ontario is brought to new heights.’’ 

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The International News Weekly REGIONAL/CANADA 


07 

Reena Virk's killer asks for day parole 

Agencies 

ABBOTSFORD: A Liberal government 

fond of promising help for 

those working hard to join the middle 

class unveiled billions in housing 

help Wednesday that could 

make a difference to hundreds of 

thousands of households — but 

only in a few years when federal 

money finally flows to new units 

and tenant benefits. 

A British Columbia woman 

who killed 14-year-old Reena Virk 

near a Victoria-area bridge two decades 

ago is asking a parole board 

to release her from prison. 

Kelly Ellard, who was 15 at the 

time of the death, is serving a life 

sentence for second-degree murder 

and will appear before a board today 

to request her release on day 

parole. 

If successful, she would move 

to a halfway house, where she 

would be monitored and be subject 

to conditions including reporting 

to a parole officer. 

Ellard, who is now 35, first applied 

for day parole in 2016 and was 

denied, but in February she was 

granted temporary escorted absences 

to go to parenting programs 

and doctor's appointments with 

her baby. 

She became pregnant last year 

after having conjugal visits with 

her boyfriend, who has also served 

prison time, and the baby lives 

with Ellard at a women's prison in 

Abbotsford, B.C. 

A court heard that Ellard and 

several other teens swarmed and 

beat Virk, before Ellard and a 

teenage boy followed her across a 

bridge, smashed her head into a 

tree and held her underwater until 

she drowned. 

Warren Glowatski was also 

convicted of second-degree murder 

and granted full parole in 2010. 

Ellard has spent about 15 years 

in prison, having spent some periods 

out on bail. She was convicted 

of second-degree murder in 2005 

after three trials. 

She has recently assumed 

more responsibility for her part 

in the murder, saying she rolled 

Virk's unconscious body into the 

Gorge waterway. She has continued 

to deny holding the girl's head 

underwater. 

A two-member panel of the 

parole board decided in February 

that Ellard should be granted temporary 

escorted absences to spend 

time with her baby. But panel 

member Alex Dantzer cautioned 

that she must take more responsibility 

for the crime. 

"It would be hard to exaggerate 

the brutality of that index offence," 

he said. "It's also disturbing in the 

view of the board that you continue 

to minimize it." 

Tories call for Morneau to 

resign, Trudeau says 'no' 

The Canadian Press 

OTTAWA: Conservative 

Leader Andrew Scheer demanded 

Bill Morneau hand 

in his resignation Wednesday 

as political rivals intensified 

their attacks on a finance 

minister mired in controversy 

for weeks. 

But Prime Minister Justin 

Trudeau launched a spirited 

defence of Morneau, accusing 

the Tories of engaging 

in baseless personal attacks 

that they won't repeat outside 

the House of Commons for 

fear of being sued. 

"After careful consideration, 

in my capacity of leader 

of the Opposition, I am officially 

calling on Bill Morneau 

to resign as finance minister," 

Scheer said shortly before 

question period, where 

the issue dominated debate. 

He advised Trudeau to 

fire Morneau if he refused to 

step aside on his own. 

But the prime minister 

said he still has full confidence 

in Morneau and then 

Agencies 

went on the offense against 

the Opposition. 

"The fabrications and the 

personal attacks, the slinging 

of mud in this place, and 

hiding behind parliamentary 

privilege, is not what Canadians 

expect from this place," 

Trudeau said. 

The push for Morneau's 

departure is yet another challenge 

to a finance minister 

who's been forced to navigate 

several ethics-related controversies 

since the summer. 

In July, he proposed taxsystem 

changes that enraged 

small-business owners to the 

point he eventually had to 

back off elements of his plan. 

Morneau has also faced 

intense political pressure 

over how he handled his 

personal financial arrangements 

after coming to office. 

The questions focused on his 

shares in the human resources 

firm Morneau Shepell, 

which was built by his family 

and for which he was executive 

chairman until his 2015 

election win. 

After the controversy 

erupted, he sold off the remainder 

of his holdings in 

the company — worth about 

$21 million — and vowed to 

place his other substantial 

assets in a blind trust. Morneau 

donated to charity the 

difference between what the 

shares were worth at the time 

of the sale and their value in 

2015 when he was first elected 

— an amount estimated at 

about $5 million. 

Canada's national security bill 

to curb homegrown extremism 

OTTAWA: Public Safety Minister Ralph 

Goodale says the Liberal government's 

sweeping national security bill will make it 

easier to combat homegrown extremism by 

improving existing provisions. 

Goodale points to a measure in the bill 

that would clarify the offence of promoting 

terrorism offences — a provision on the 

books he calls virtually unworkable because 

it is too vague. The Liberal government's security 

legislation, tabled in June, would narrow 

that provision and flesh out campaign 

promises to revise other elements of C-51, a 

contentious omnibus bill brought in by the 

Harper government after a gunman stormed 

Parliament Hill in October 2014. 

Goodale tells the House of Commons public 

safety committee that simply repealing 

all of C-51 would be like trying to unscramble 

eggs. NDP public safety critic Matthew Dube 

dismisses the notion Bill C-51 could not be rescinded 

in its entirety, noting that a caucus 

colleague has introduced a private member's 

bill that would do so. 

Goodale says the Liberal bill is based on 

the most extensive consultation on national 

security ever undertaken in Canada. 

Bail revoked for Toronto cop who shot dead Sammy Yatim 

UNWRAP 

MORE GIGS. 

Albion Mall 

1530 Albion Rd 

Etobicoke 

416-749-6798 

Rowntree Plaza 

2687 Kipling Ave 

Etobicoke 

647-342-1990 

Agencies 

TORONTO: Bail has been revoked for a 

Toronto police officer convicted of attempted 

murder in the fatal shooting of a teen on an 

empty streetcar four years ago. 

Const. James Forcillo was sentenced to 

six years in prison last year for his role in 

the shooting of Sammy Yatim but had been 

out on bail, living under house arrest, as he 

appealed his conviction. The officer was arrested 

earlier this month and charged with 

breaching the conditions of his bail. Police 

say Forcillo failed to live with his surety, or 

notify authorities of a change of address. After 

he was taken into custody, Crown prosecutors 

said they had applied to the Appeal 

Islington Village 

4947 Dundas St. W 

Etobicoke 

647-702-3722 

Queensway Mall 

1255 The Queensway 

Etobicoke 

416-259-9926 

Court to have Forcillo's bail revoked. 

At a brief court hearing Thursday, a 

Crown prosecutor told a justice of the peace 

that Forcillo's bail had been revoked by the 

Ontario Court of Appeal on Monday. 

Forcillo is scheduled to return to court 

Dec. 15, when the court will determine 

whether it is necessary to hold a bail hearing 

on his bail-breach charge of failing to comply 

with recognizance. Yatim's death set off 

a wave of public outrage after video of what 

happened went viral. 

Though Forcillo was found guilty of attempted 

murder in the teen's death, he was 

acquitted of the more serious charge of second-degree 

murder for shooting the 18-yearold 

Yatim multiple times. 

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17_11_29_Holiday10GB50_Connexions_Parvasi_5x7_5.indd 1 

2017-11-29 5:57 PM

The International News Weekly EDIT 

08 


The 

India heading for farmers' revolt 

w w w . canadianparv asi. c o m 

Publisher & CEO 

Associate Editor 

Editor (India) 

Online 

Graphic Designer 

Official Photographer 

Contact 

Editorial 

Sales 

Rajinder Saini 

Meenakshi Saini 

Gursheesh 

Kshitiz Dalal 

Naveen 

Bashir Nasir 

editor@canadianparvasi.com 

sales@canadianparvasi.com 

Ontario elections 

With elections in Ontario looming, it is 

interesting to see how the three major parties 

are positioning themselves before the poll day. 

The Liberals have the burden of 

incumbency as they are in their fourth term 

now. But despite the rather burdensome legacy 

she inherited from her predecessor, Premier 

Kathleen Wynne has done well for herself. 

Will the Progressive Conservatives under 

Patrick Brown be able to dethrone Liberals 

this time around? Or will the Ontario NDP 

under Andrea Horwath spring some surprise? 

Ahead of others, Brown has just announced 

his ‘People’s Guarantee’ plan to woo voters. 

In a nutshell, it is a five-point plan which is 

essentially what matters the most for people 

- money. 

Brown has promised to lower hydro bills 

by an additional 12 percent. 

According to his party machinery, this 

measure will save an average family $173 a 

year. 

The Conservatives have also promised 

to lower income tax by 22.5 percent for the 

middle class and give 75 percent refund for 

child care expenses. 

Brown is also talking about making what he 

calls ``the largest mental health commitment 

in Canadian provincial history.’’ 

His last promise is to introduce the socalled 

Trust, Integrity and Accountability Act. 

The Conservatives may be seen as an 

alternative to the Wynne Liberals, but will 

they be able to convince Ontario voters 

enough to trust them? 

If Toronto is any indication of the mood 

across the province, the latest public opinion 

taken by The Forum Poll shows 33 percent of 

people voting Liberals if elections were held 

today. Another 31 percent say they will vote 

Progressive Conservatives. About 25 percent 

people intend to vote the NDP. 

But Toronto is no representative of the 

whole of Ontario. 

It depends on how the three leaders make 

their pitch to the voters in the coming days. 

Thought for the week 

Politics have no relation to morals. 

~Niccolo Machiavelli 

Brig Nawab Heer and 

Ms Preet Heer 

The All-India Kisan Sangharsh 

Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) 

brought 184 farmers organizations 

together recently for a two-day Kisan 

Mukti Sansad at Ramlila Ground in 

New Delhi to highlight the looming 

agrarian crisis in the country. 

Yogendra Yadav, who heads 

Swaraj Abhiyan and was the brain 

behind the Delhi rally, warned the 

Modi government that it needs to 

implement major recommendations 

of the Swaminathan Commission 

Report to avert agrarian crisis in 

India. 

Though the Swaminathan report 

was submitted in 2006, nothing 

has been done to implement its 

recommendations. 

Many speakers at the rally rightly 

pointed out that the farming sector in 

India is in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) 

and will soon need support systems 

to survive. 

The irony is that very few media 

organizations covered the agitation 

and there was hardly any response 

from the government despite PM 

Modi’s promise to double farm 

income by 2022. 

Poor uneducated farmers take 

such promises seriously and cast 

their votes in hopes for improvement 

in their lot only to be disappointed 

very soon. 

As per this government’s own 

admission in parliament, the 

number of farmers committing 

suicides climbed about 42 percent to 

8,007 in 2015 from a year earlier. 

As the agrarian crisis envelops 

the country, this government is 

visualizing something else for the 

farming sector. It wants large land 

holdings as is the case in the US, 

Canada and many other countries 

and dissuade small holdings. 

Possibly, this could be the reason 

they have not implemented the 

Swaminathan Commission Report. 

This could also be the reason they 

are not enhancing scope of MSP and 

ensuring timely payments to the 

farmers. 

The impression is gaining ground 

Dear Members of the Sikh Community, 

While we are still struggling to 

find an acceptable definition of a 

Sikh, the Gurbani guides us as to - 

who is a Gursikh? 

The Sikhi doctrine mentioned 

in the following pankti suggests:- 

Üé° éÅéÕ° è±Çó î§×Ë ÇåÃ° ×°ðÇÃÖ ÕÆ Ü¯ 

ÁÅÇê ÜêË ÁòðÔ éÅî° ÜêÅòË ¨2¨ 

(Raag Gauri Guru Ram Das, 

GGS, page & line 306-2) 

Jan Naanak Dhhoorr Mangai 

This Gurasikh Kee Jo Aap Japai 

Avareh Naam Japaavai ||2|| 

ÁÙé ÙæÙ·¤é ÏêçÇ¸ ×´»ñ çÌâé »éÚUçâ¹ ·¤è Áô ¥æçÂ 

ÁÂñ ¥ßÚUã Ùæ×é ÁÂæßñ HwH 

that small farmers are being forced 

to move to cities for alternative jobs. 

It means 40 crore out of 60 crore 

farmers are being forced to move to 

already overcrowded cities which 

cannot absorb such large-scale influx 

and provide employment. In the case 

of Punjab, imagine what will happen 

if one crore farmers are forced to 

shift to cities such as Ludhiana, 

Amritsar or Jalandhar! 

It is clear India cannot copy 

the US where only 2 percent of the 

population is involved in farming. 

But in India, over 60 percent 

population relies on farming. The 

situation has come to such a pass 

that even in an agriculturally 

progressive state like Punjab, there 

is now child malnutrition because of 

declining agrarian economy. 

Despite a partial loan waiver 

promised by the Congress 

government which came to power in 

the state in March, farmer suicides 

continue unabated, with one or two 

cases reported daily. 

The Modi government has given 

Rs 2.11 lakh crores to banks to cover 

default loans to the Industrialists, but 

it has no money to help the farming 

sector which has become a non-profit 

business because of higher input and 

labour costs and lower MSP today. 

The farmers of Punjab with 

just two percent of the country’s 

landholding have been filling 50 

percent basket of India. But now this 

Punjab model of farming has become 

a failure. One wonders how long 

farming in Punjab will remain viable 

in the face of ever-rising input costs 

and ever-depleting underground 

water. With their die-hard spirit, 

the Punjab peasantry may soldier 

on, but I am afraid the the deepening 

crisis will break their spirit soon. 

Letters to the Editor 

Servant Nanak begs for the dust 

of the feet of that GurSikh, who 

himself chants the Naam, and inspires 

others to chant it. ||2|| 

Accordingly, the criterion to become 

a Gursikh is that one should 

chant/recite the Divine Name (of 

Waheguru) and inspire others to do 

the same. 

It is amazing to see that such a 

criterion can be easily applied in 

making Gurbani accepted Universally. 

People of different religions 

do recite and do inspire others to recite 

their respective Divine Names 

in daily life and in their places of 

worship. According to Gurbani, 

Punjab chief minister and his 

finance minister have been doing 

the rounds of the offices of the Prime 

Minister and the Finance Minister in 

Delhi seeking help to bail out Punjab 

farmers, but somehow the Modi 

government is not relenting. 

Let me point out here that 

Punjab also needs to put its own 

house in order. Take the case of free 

rural electricity for farmers. It has 

not only led to overexploitation of 

groundwater, but also contributed 

to fiscal crunch. In turn, this 

has affected public spending on 

education and health. There has 

been little real growth in Punjab’s 

social spending. 

The popular image of Punjabis 

is that of big robust people who are 

rich and fond of hearty eating and 

energetic living. 

But the reality is very different 

today. Because of malnutrition, 

stunted growth or wasting (low 

weight-for-height) among Punjab’s 

children has increased from 9.2 per 

cent in 2005 to 15.6 per cent in 2015. 

One in four kids in Punjab today 

is stunted, according to an analysis 

of the latest government data by the 

Observer Research Foundation. 

Worse even, the farming crisis 

in the state has also resulted in 

deterioration in education and 

healthcare systems, rise in drug 

abuse and rampant corruption. 

The clock is ticking very fast. 

Farmer revolt may erupt in Punjab 

and spread across India. 

The writing is on the wall and 

it is high time the government paid 

heed before the country lost its food 

security. 

(Brig Nawab Heer can be contacted at 

nawabheer@gmail.com) 

they are all Gursikhs even when 

they think they are professing different 

faiths and religions? 

This would mean there are 

more Gursikhs in the world then 

the Sikhs. 

Do we need to worry to raise 

the number of conventional Sikhs 

or Gursikhs with conviction based 

on Gurbani? 

Bhai Dr. Harbans Lal may not 

look like a conventional Sikh but 

he is a Gursikh by conviction. 

With Waheguru's blessings, 

Kirpal Singh 

Wellington, New Zealand 

Parvasi weekly & people associated with it are not responsible for any claims made by the advertisement & do not endorse any product or service advertised in Canadian Parvasi. Please consult your lawyer before buying/hiring/contracting through the 

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The International News Weekly INTERVIEW/OPED 

09 


Dawood Ibrahim is depressed 

as his only son becomes Mullah 


THANE: Absconding mafia 

don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar 

is reported to be suffering from 

bouts of depression owing to a 

family hurdle, which, despite his 

manpower and gunpower, he is 

unable to resolve, according to 

police officials. 

The problem apparently is his 

third child - and only son - Moin 

Nawaz D. Kaskar, 31, who has 

turned his back on the "family 

business" is a devout Muslim who 

has chosen to become a Maulana, 

or a cleric-cum-religious teacher. 

"Moin is understood to be 

deadly against his father's illegal 

activities which have given 

the entire family a notorious 

reputation worldwide and made 

many of them wanted fugitives 

everywhere," Thane Anti- 

Extortion Cell head Pradeep 

Sharma told IANS. 

He said this and other nuggets 

of an internal strife in the family 

tumbled out in bits and pieces 

during the ongoing interrogation 

of Iqbal Ibrahim Kaskar, Dawood's 

younger brother, who was nabbed 

in three extortion cases last 

September by the Thane AEC. 

Iqbal Kaskar has informed the 

investigators that a deeply worried 

Dawood is afflicted by bouts of 

despondency over who would 

look after and handle his vast 

underworld empire in the future. 

More so, as his other brother 

Anees Ibrahim Kaskar is now 

ageing and reportedly not in robust 

health, other brothers are deceased 

and no reliable close relatives 

available to take over the reins of 

the empire. "His son is practically 

estranged from the family and all 

its businesses since the past few 

years, but it is not clear if he is on 

speaking terms with his father," 

said Sharma, a former "encounter 

specialist" dreaded by the mafia, 

with many scalps of dreaded 

criminals under his belt. 

Iqbal Kaskar told the 

investigators that his nephew Moin 

is now a respected and qualified 

Maulana, who is a 'Hafiz-e-Quran', 

having memorized the entire Holy 

Quran which comprises 6,236 

verses. 

Besides, he has discarded the 

comforts of the family's palatial 

bungalow in the fashionable 

Clifton area in the posh Saddar 

suburb of Karachi and opted to 

live a mendicant's life in a mosque 

adjacent to their home. 

However, his wife Saniya and 

their three minor children have not 

abandoned him and are living with 

him in the small quarters provided 

by the mosque management. 

Moin's main religious activities 

comprise teaching Holy Quran 

and Islamic preachings to young 

children, leading the call of prayers 

and congregation of 'namaz' at 

various occasions and other 

social-religious responsibilities 

associated with a cleric. 

"Its clear that Moin, who could 

have inherited his father's vast 

legal and illegal business empires, 

ironically, has decided to become 

a man of God and completely 

shunned a life of luxury which was 

at his command," Sharma said. 

Earlier, Moin, who is a 

business management graduate, 

used to help out his father in some 

of his line of works, but gradually 

drifted away to the "divine call of 

Allah". 

A handsome young man, in 

September 2011, he settled down in 

life and married a wealthy Karchi 

businessman's daughter, Saniya 

Shaikh, who helps out in her 

family businesses in Pakistan and 

Britain. 

Of Moin's siblings, Mahrukh 

got married in 2006 to Junaid, the 

son of Pakistani star cricketer 

Javed Miandad, and middle sister 

Mahreen tied the knot with a 

US-based businessman's son in 

early 2011. Earlier, Iqbal Kaskar 

had revealed that Dawood is in 

excellent health and living in 

Karachi under the protective 

eyes of the Pakistani agencies, 

dismissing all speculation on his 

physical well-being that keeps 

floating occasionally. 

The investigators are hopeful 

that in the coming days, he may 

reveal more information about the 

Godfather's family imbroglios and 

provide clues to the future of his 

activities. 

Dark Web helping hackers execute Ransomware-as-a-Service, warns McAfee 

By Sourabh Kulesh 

NEW DELHI: As governments 

and companies face 

an uphill task to stop hackers 

from stealing data, the 

Dark Web is providing them 

a safe haven, helping them 

scale up and execute massive 

data breaches, global 

cyber security firm McAfee 

has warned. Dark Web is an 

encrypted network of websites 

and communities that 

exists outside of mainstream 

Internet culture. 

"We are witnessing a 

scaling model called Ransomware-as-a-Service 

where 

criminals are hired by an entity 

to host everything, use 

their own infrastructure, 

tools and expertise and the 

employer gives them a target 

as well as the magnitude 

of attack," Vincent Weafer, 

Vice President, McAfee 

Labs and Product Development, 

told IANS. 

"Before carrying out the 

attack, hackers are clear 

that they would vanish if, 

in case, the attack fails. The 

hackers make sure that 

their employer gets caught 

and they escape," Weafer 

added. 

For example, encrypted 

software such as Tor's ability 

to hide the identity of the 

attacker is key to cybercriminals. 

Tor is a free software 

for enabling anonymous 

communication. 

The McAfee executive 

also said that crypto-currencies 

like Bitcoin are also a 

major reason why cyberattacks 

are increasing. 

From a product point 

of view, Weafer said, there 

is little that cyber security 

companies can do to stop 

communication on the Dark 

Web, but they can help provide 

intelligence to the regulators. 

"We are not looking at 

products that could track 

those criminals on the Dark 

Web but can provide expertise 

in terms of where 

and what information is 

flowing and which types of 

groups are operating. That 

information can be shared 

with regulators and governments 

because they are the 

ones who will be chasing the 

criminals," Weafer said. 

McAfee has assisted several 

law enforcement agencies 

in cybercrime cases and 

Raj Samani, Chief Scientist 

and McAfee Fellow, is a special 

advisor to the European 

Cybercrime Centre at The 

Hague. 

Samani also leads the 

NoMoreRansomware.Org 

website -- an initiative by the 

National High Tech Crime 

Unit of the Netherlands' police 

and Europol's European 

Cybercrime Centre -- that 

aims to help victims of ransomware 

retrieve their encrypted 

data without having 

to pay. 

Samani said that the majority 

of the breaches worldwide 

were "SQL Injection" 

(a type of web application 

attack) issues where people 

were clicking on malicious 

links. 

"I agree it is important 

for cybersecurity companies 

to stay ahead of the criminals 

and innovate continuously, 

but we must not forget 

the fact that a majority of the 

breaches were carried out 

because of fundamental errors," 

Samani told IANS. 

"WannaCrypt could 

have been patched. We knew 

its propagation method like 

20 years ago. It was spread 

like old school worms used 

to attack across systems. 

Majority of the issues could 

have been stopped by just 

doing the basic fundamentals," 

Samani noted. 

When asked how cyber 

security companies are designing 

products to protect 

and help customers retrieve 

data, Weafer said whatever 

is happening in terms of the 

change in attack methodology 

and its impact, what 

people are doing and what 

hackers are going after, decides 

the product design. 

McAfee protects over 300 

million devices worldwide 

and has a presence in more 

than 2,000 companies, government 

institutions and 

healthcare. 

In India, the company 

has got a retail presence and 

also works with top government 

institutions. McAfee 

has its largest research and 

development facility in Bengaluru 

that employs over 

1,000 engineers. 

For Samani, the first 

step to protect the data is 

keeping a back-up. 

"The best way out is 

to back your data. As you 

read this, take a five-minute 

break, kick off a back-up and 

then continue with what you 

were doing. It doesn't matter 

what hackers do -- whether 

they leave your data encrypted 

or decrypt it (if you 

refuse to pay ransom) -- you 

are covered. And make sure 

to go for offline back-ups as 

well," Samani advised. 

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The International News Weekly india 


I am ready to pay political price 

to change India, says Modi 


He said post demonetisation, 

black money, which 

was part of a parallel economy, 

has now become part 

of the formal system as 

data mining after the note 

ban has helped the government 

crack down against 

those hoarding unaccounted 

wealth and involved in 

corruption. 

He said there has been 

a "positive change" in the 

mindset and self-confidence 

of people "like never 

before", ever since his government 

came to power in 

2014. 

"If we see the country 

as a living entity then the 

positive attitude that has 

come to India, was never 

before," Modi said. 

Earlier the youth, 

women, farmers and the 

poor had minimal faith in 

the country's resources, 

the Prime Minister said. 

Emphasising that the 

citizens of India in 2014 

not just voted to change 

the government, Modi 

said people also wanted 

and, therefore, voted for a 

"change in system that will 

be permanent, stable and 

irreversible". 

"Everywhere in the 

country, someone had to 

fight with the system day 

and night. I am trying and 

have committed that there 

will be irreversible change 

-- ease of living will improve." 

Describing Aadhaar as 

a major "power" to bring 

about an "irreversible 

change" in the common 

man's life, the Prime Minister 

said the Unique Identification 

Number would 

now be used in cases involving 

benami properties. 

"By linking Aadhaar to 

mobile (phones) and bank 

accounts, we have created 

such a system that could 

not have been imagined 

few years back. 

"In last three years, 

with the help of Aadhaar, 

crores of fake names have 

been removed from the 

system. Now it is going to 

be a big weapon against 

benami properties," Modi 

said. 

He said that the country 

saw a "behavioural 

change" after demonetisation, 

which helped in converting 

to a "clean and 

healthy economy". 

"For the first time after 

Independence, the corrupt 

people are scared of transacting 

in black money. 

They are scared of being 

caught. The black money, 

which was earlier the base 

of the parallel economy, 

has now become part of the 

formal economy. 

"Such an irreversible 

change is getting boost 

from Aadhaar. Aadhaar 

is such a power through 

which this government 

wants to ensure rights of 

poor. It is also playing a 

big role in providing subsidised 

ration, scholarships, 

medicines, pensions and 

other government subsidies," 

he said. 

He said the day the 

country would adopt maximum 

transactions via digital 

addresses, "organised 

crime would come to an 

end to some extent". 

Modi said "big transformations" 

do not come 

easily and for it "hauling 

up of the entire system was 

needed". "We can increase 

our ease of doing business 

ranking from 142 to 100 

only when we take initiatives 

for big transformation," 

Modi said. 

The Prime Minister 

said India's influence on 

the international stage was 

also increasing "because 

of the growing reputation 

and trust" for the country. 

"Indians living abroad 

feel proud. When slogans 

like 'abki baar Trump 

sarkar' (Trump government 

this time) and 'abki 

baar Cameron sarkar' 

(Cameron government this 

time) echo, India's might is 

being accepted," Modi said. 

He was referring to 

the campaigns of former 

UK Prime Minister David 

Cameron, who used the 

slogan "phir ek baar Cameron 

sarkar" (Cameron 

government once again) to 

woo Indian origin voters in 

the 2015 elections, and US 

President Donald Trump's 

election campaign in 2016, 

inspired by the 2014 Lok 

Sabha election slogan 

"Abki baar Modi Sarkar". 

"Where is India standing 

today, you know it 

well. Big or small, all countries 

are walking along 

with India, our influence 

on the international stage 

is increasing. We don't 

have to stop now, we have 

to keep moving forward," 

Modi said. 

Ideas are the cool currency, says Shah Rukh 

Agencies 

MUMBAI: Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, 

who will be back on the small screen with 

"TED Talks India: Nayi Soch" next month, 

says it's an initiative to open people's minds 

to the power of ideas, which he calls the "new 

cool currency". 

The Hindi TV talk show created in partnership 

with TED, a non-profit organisation, 

will go on air on December 10 on Star 

Plus. "Ideas are the new cool currency, the 

new rock n roll. This show is a unique and 

powerful initiative towards opening people's 

minds to the power of ideas and encouraging 

'Nayi Soch'. An idea can inspire you with 

limitless possibilities, give you an alternative 

perspective to look at oneself, one's surroundings 

and future," Shah Rukh said in a 

statement. 

The Hindi TV talk show, to be aired on 

Star Plus, is created in partnership with 

TED, a non-profit organisation devoted 

to "ideas worth spreading". It will feature 

speakers from various fields sharing ideas 

in TED's signature format of short, powerful 

talks. This is the first time TED is collaborating 

with a major network to produce a TV series 

featuring original "TED Talks" in Hindi. 

The channel has come up with a promotional 

campaign #DontKillideas for it. Its 

second phase features the show's host Shah 

Rukh and stresses on the core premise of 

'ideas'. Promoting the show on Twitter, SRK, 

known for his signature pose with spread 

out arms, posted a link of the campaign and 

wrote: "It is time to open our minds and 

hearts not just the arms..." 

The opening episode of the show will be 

simulcast across Star Gold, Movies OK, Star 

World, Star Jalsha along with Star Plus and 

Hotstar. 

India's Next-Gen A-330 AWACS to 

have mid-air refuelling capability 

By Anjali Ojha 

The next-generation 

airborne early warning and 

control system (AWACS), 

with a 360-degree scan being 

developed by the DRDO, 

would also double up as an 

air-to-air refueller following 

a request by the Indian 

Air Force (IAF), according 

to a top DRDO official. 

The IAF, which is bearing 

around 80 per cent of 

the project's cost, had asked 

Defence Research and Development 

Organisation 

(DRDO) to equip Airbus 

A330 wide-bodied AWACS 

aircraft with refuelling 

capability. "Negotiations 

with Airbus had been completed 

on the basis of the 

in-principal approval given 

by the government and an 

RFP (request for proposal) 

that was floated. We will 

be buying six aircraft, and 

may buy two more under 

the option clause later," S. 

Christopher, DRDO chief, 

told IANS. 

The Airbus A-330, a 

medium to long-range 

wide-body twin-engined 

jet, which emerged as the 

single bidder for the tender 

floated by India, is likely to 

be the platform for the next 

generation AWACS systems, 

which will double up 

as mid-air refuellers. "Adding 

this refuelling capacity 

will give a multi-functional 

role to the platform. It will 

also be economic as the cost 

will be around 36 per cent 

lower," Christopher said. 

As the proposal was 

put to the air force, it asked 

DRDO if it was possible to 

include air-to-air refuelling. 

"The AWACS fly with 

buddy aircraft to protect it, 

which can also be fuelled 

by the same aircraft," he 

said. 

Since the Airbus A-330 

had already an in-principal 

approval for the AWACS 

system, the DRDO did not 

want to go through the process 

again which may have 

resulted in cost escalation 

of the platform. 

The DRDO official said 

a "tech scan" of the platform 

was carried out, and it was 

found that the Airbus A-330 

could be used for both purposes. 

The committee undertaking 

the tech scan had 

a member from the DRDO, 

apart from the IAF and the 

defence ministry. 

The IAF at present has 

two AWACS systems -- the 

Israeli Phalcon AWACS on 

the Russian IL-76 and an indigenous 

system mounted 

on a Brazilian Embraer-145 

that was handed over to 

IAF by DRDO at the Aero 

India 2017. Two more Embraer 

aircraft are being fitted 

with the system. 

The IAF at present operates 

six IL-78 planes for 

air-to-air refuelling and has 

a requirement for more. 

Incidentally, in 2016, India 

had scrapped a deal for 

acquisition of six Airbus 

A-330 mid-air refuelling 

aircraft. 

The indigenous 

AWACS have a 240 degree 

scanning capability, which 

means it scans the area on 

both sides, but not in the 

front or back. 

The new system being 

developed by DRDO would 

have AESA (active electronically 

scanned array) 

radars with 360 degree capability, 

which can detect 

incoming aerial threats 

like hostile fighters, drones 

and cruise missiles from 

400-km away. India will be 

only the second country in 

the world after Israel to develop 

such a system. 

The new system is 

scheduled to be ready in 

seven years.

The International News Weekly INDIA 

11 


Rahul Gandhi: My family are devotees of Lord Shiva 

Agencies 

AMRELI (Gujarat): Congress 

Vice President Rahul 

Gandhi, clarifying on Somnath 

Temple register controversy, 

has said he and his 

family members are "Shiv 

bhakts" (devotees of Lord 

Shiva), and he does not use 

his faith for political mileage. 

Gandhi also said that 

he did not sign on the (non- 

Hindu) register. "I didn't sign 

on the register... BJP's people 

had done that. I just signed 

on the visitors' book," he said. 

"My grandmother, my 

family... we are devotees of 

Lord Shiva and we don't need 

any certificate from others. 

Faith is a personal matter, 

we don't want to do dalali 

(brokerage) on our faith... 

Don't want to use our faith 

for political mileage of it," 

said Gandhi on Thursday 

while addressing a meeting 

here in Gujarat. 

"These issues are personal 

and usually kept in 

private. We don't want any 

certificates on our faith 

from anyone," he said. 

A major controversy 

broke out on Wednesday 

over the Congress Vice 

President's visit to Somnath 

Temple with the BJP questioning 

his faith, while the 

Congress hit back accusing 

the BJP of playing dirty 

politics and maintained Rahul 

Gandhi was a "devout 

Hindu". 

Kejriwal delaying defamation case, says Jaitley 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: Union Finance 

Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday 

told the Delhi High Court that Chief 

Minister Arvind Kejriwal's counsel 

were asking "irrelevant questions" to 

delay the trial in a defamation case 

filed by him. Jaitley was being crossexamined 

by Kejriwal's counsel in a 

Rs 10 crore defamation case he filed 

against Kejriwal and other Aam Aadmi 

Party leaders for their statements 

regarding alleged irregularities in 

the Delhi and District Cricket Association 

(DDCA). 

Kejriwal's counsel have not asked 

any question on alleged defamatory 

remarks, after which Jaitley filed the 

defamation suit, the Minister's counsel 

told HC Joint Registrar Rakesh 

Pandit. 

Jaitley sought an early hearing 

of the case, but Kejriwal's counsel 

opposed it. The court has posted the 

cross-examination of Jaitley to February 

2, 12 and 13, 2018. 

Jaitley, during his cross-examination, 

denied that he had not 

replied to several letters from suspended 

Bharatiya Janata Party MP 

Kirti Azad on alleged irregularities 

in the Syndicate Bank Cricket Club 

transfer matter. Jaitley filed the civil 

defamation case in December 2015 

against Kejriwal and AAP leaders 

Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay 

Singh, Raghav Chadha and Deepak 

Bajpayee, claiming that they had 

made "false and defamatory" statements 

vis-a-vis DDCA affairs, thereby 

harming his reputation. Jaitley 

sought Rs 10 crore in damages from 

Kejriwal and others. 

He claimed the AAP leaders attacked 

him over alleged irregularities 

and financial bungling in Delhi's 

cricket association, of which he was 

the President for about 13 years. 

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Lt Governor has no powers over 

Delhi Govt decision, says SC 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: The Supreme 

Court on Thursday 

said that the Lt. Governor 

does not have the jurisdiction 

to pronounce if the 

Delhi government's decisions 

are correct or not as 

he can only, in the situation 

of disagreement, refer 

the matter to the President 

for decision. 

"Lt. Governor does not 

have the jurisdiction to decide 

on the correctness or 

otherwise of the decisions 

of Delhi government" said 

Chief Justice Dipak Misra 

presiding over the five 

judge constitution bench. 

Lt. Governor can call 

the Chief Minister and apprise 

him of his opinion 

and persuade him on the 

course which is he thinks 

is correct or vice-a-versa 

or refer it to the President 

in the event of difference 

of opinion but can't take 

upon himself the adjudicatory 

role, said the court. 

The bench also comprising 

Justice A.K.Sikri, 

Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, 

Justice D.Y. Chandrachud 

and Justice Ashok 

Bhushan said this while 

making it clear that it 

would decide the larger issues 

on "law and principle" 

leaving the individual issues 

for the High Court to 

decide - a position the top 

court took while deciding 

whether right to privacy 

was a fundamental right. 

"We will only lay down 

the law and the principles 

... We will decide what 

kind of State it is and for 

individual cases, it will go 

back to two judge bench 

of High Court," said the 

bench. 

The court noted that 

once constitutional perceptions 

are decided, the 

most of the problems will 

be solved "their (Delhi 

government) way or your 

(Centre) way" as Additional 

Solicitor General 

Maninder Singh, appearing 

for the Central government, 

sought to clear the 

impression that the Lt. 

Governor was functioning 

in total disregard of the 

elected government or was 

sitting on the files thereby 

paralysing the fuinctioning 

of Arvind Kejriwal 

government. 

Maninder Singh told 

the court that in every 

meeting called by the Lt. 

Governor, the Chief Minister 

or the Minister concerned 

are called and they 

attend them. Of the 6,300 

proposals that were forwarded 

to the Lt. Governor 

in last three years, 96 per 

cent of them were cleared 

and that too within two to 

three days of their submission, 

he added. 

He said that Lt. Governor 

stood his ground only 

in three areas - police, public 

order and land - which 

are in the exclusive domain 

of the Centre. 

Brushing aside the allegation 

that Lt. Governor 

sat on the file recommending 

the hike in minimum 

wages, the ASG said that 

the recommendations 

were not in accord with 

the procedure and once the 

procedural requirements 

were satisfied, the proposal 

for hike of minimum 

wages was cleared immediately. 

The constitution bench 

is hearing a batch of petitions 

by the Delhi government 

challenging the Delhi 

High Court order that held 

that the Lt Governor had 

the final authority in the 

governance of the national 

capital. The Centre is defending 

the High Court 

verdict. 

Besides Maninder 

Singh, the bench was also 

addressed by senior counsel 

Abhishek Manu Singhvi 

and Sidhartha Luthra. 

Son of Hizbul chief among 18 

injured in Tihar jail scuffle 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: Syed Shahid 

Yusuf, the son of Hizbul 

Mujahideen chief Syed 

Salahuddin, suffered injuries 

along with 17 other 

prisoners in a scuffle that 

took place over a week ago 

between Tihar jail inmates 

and security guards, leading 

the high court to set up 

a committee to investigate 

the matter, officials said 

on Thursday. 

Tihar authorities on 

Wednesday sent a report 

to the Home Ministry on 

the incident. 

In their report, the Tihar 

authorities said that 

Yusuf and other prisoners 

were injured after Tamil 

Nadu Police personnel intervened 

after one of their 

physically handicapped 

colleagues was assaulted 

by three inmates at Tihar's 

jail number 1 on the intervening 

night of November 

21-22 during routine 

checking. 

Yusuf is lodged in Tihar 

jail in connection with 

terror-funding cases. 

The report also said 

that some of the prisoners 

were rushed to the All 

India Institute of Medical 

Sciences (AIIMS) for 

treatment and were being 

examined by a threemember 

AIIMS doctors' team. 

On November 23, the 

high court set up a threemember 

committee for inspection 

of the prison and 

submitted its report, based 

on which, on November 

27, the court passed directions 

to Tihar authorities. 

The fact-finding team, 

headed by a district judgerank 

officer, and a professor 

of the National Law 

University in Dwarka had 

been constituted to investigate 

the entire incident. 

The Commandant of 

the Tamil Nadu Special 

Force battalion deployed 

in Tihar jail has also been 

asked to conduct a separate 

detailed probe into 

the incident and take appropriate 

action against 

anyone found negligent, 

a Home Ministry official 

said citing the Tihar report. 

The official, quoting 

the Tihar jail report, said 

three prisoners, including 

a Kashmiri, were found to 

be having unauthorised 

material. 

When Tamil Nadu Special 

Force Sub-Inspector 

Muthu Pandee tried to remove 

them "the inmates 

resisted and assaulted 

him. As the officer is physically 

handicapped, he was 

allegedly beaten up by the 

three inmates. As other 

Tamil Nadu Police personnel 

intervened, the 18 prisoners, 

including Yusuf, 

were injured," the report 

said. It said that the team 

of Tamil Nadu Special 

Force was removed from 

active jail duties after the 

incident and the jail authorities 

had deposited 

the relevant evidence like 

CCTV footage with the 

probe teams. 

The report also mentioned 

that the employees 

working in Tihar jail had 

been sensitised and asked 

to ensure that the inherent 

dignity of the prisoners 

was protected while carrying 

out searches and performing 

other duties. 

The Home Ministry 

asked the Director General 

of the Tihar jail to submit 

a report in the case. 

Jammu and Kashmir 

Chief Minister Mehbooba 

Mufti on Tuesday spoke to 

Union Home Secretary Rajiv 

Gauba to enquire about 

the incident. 

ED raids 7 places in 

Rs 5,000-cr money 

laundering case 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 

Thursday searched the premises of Sanjeev Mahajan and 

other businessmen in connection with a money laundering 

probe involving over Rs 5,000 crore, officials said. 

An ED official told IANS that searches were conducted 

at seven locations, the premises of Mahajan in Mayur 

Vihar Phase-1 and Babar Road in Delhi. The businessman 

is a close aide of Congress leader Ahmed Patel. 

Premises of Ghanshyam Pandey in Dwarka and Lakshmi 

Chand Gupta in Laxmi Nagar and Arvind Gupta in 

Ghaziabad were also searched. The three are linked to the 

Sandesara Group owned by Chetan and Nitin Sandesara. 

The official also said that they have seized several 

computers and mobile phones and recovered some documents. 

ED sources said the raids were conducted as part 

of a probe into Sandesara Group that was allegedly involved 

in high-value suspicious transactions to the tune 

of Rs 5,383 crore. The owners of Sandesara Group are suspected 

to have some 300 benami properties. 

On November 1, the financial probe agency arrested 

Gagan Dhawan from his south Delhi residence on the 

charge of money laundering. 

The ED alleged that he was involved in diverting the 

amount to purchase properties and other shell companies. 

According to ED officials, Dhawan allegedly aided 

bank loan frauds related to the Vadodara-based Sterling 

Biotech company. 

The ED had registered a case of money laundering 

following a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case 

against Sterling Biotech, its directors Chetan Jayantilal 

Sandesara, Dipti Chetan Sandesara, Rajbhushan Omprakash 

Dixit, Nitin Jayantilal Sandesara, Vilas Joshi 

and several others in connection with the bank fraud 

case.

The International News Weekly India 


13 

Kirron Kher stirs controversy with advice to gang-rape victim 

Agencies 

CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh's 

BJP MP Kirron 

Kher has stirred a controversy 

by giving unsolicited 

advice to a young woman 

who was gang raped earlier 

this month here by an autorickshaw 

driver and his two 

accomplices. 

Kher said on Wednesday 

that the victim should have 

been more cautious and not 

boarded the auto-rickshaw 

in which three men were already 

sitting. 

The Bollywood actress 

and Lok Sabha member on 

Thursday sought to clarify 

her statement, saying it was 

"only in the context of certain 

precautions" that women 

should take and that it 

was "not intended to blame 

the victim or shaming her". 

The Bharatiya Janata 

Party MP had earlier said 

that the 21-year-old gang 

rape victim should have 

avoided boarding the autorickshaw 

when she saw that 

three men were already sitting 

in it. 

"I want to tell this girl 

and all other girls that if you 

see three men sitting in the 

auto, they should not board 

it. I am saying this to protect 

the girls. 

"We all have to be alert 

about such things. I am saddened 

by what has happened 

with the woman," Kher told 

media on Wednesday. 

On Thursday, Kher clarified 

her stand. 

"I just said that the world 

is a bad place. We all, especially 

ladies, have to take 

precautions. As a mother, I 

am saying this that we need 

to take care," Kher said. 

She said that if the victim 

had called up the police 

control room, the police 

would have taken her and 

dropped her safely to her 

home. 

"If the Congress wants to 

make an issue out of it, I cannot 

help," she said. 

The victim was allegedly 

gang raped by three men on 

November 17 evening after 

she hired the shared autorickshaw 

to go back to her 

paying guest accommodation 

in Mohali town, adjoining 

Chandigarh. 

The police got the CCTV 

footage of the auto-rickshaw 

and its driver from a gas station 

in Sector 42 where the 

vehicle had stopped to get a 

CNG refuel. The Union Territory 

police arrested the 

three men after over a week 

after the incident. 

The victim, who hails 

from Dehradun in Uttarakhand, 

had boarded the 

shared auto-rickshaw after 

attending her stenography 

class in Sector 37 here. 

The victim told the police 

that the driver took the 

vehicle to the gas station for 

refuelling and then turned 

towards Sector 52. 

He stopped the auto near 

a wild growth along the road 

and said that it had broken 

down. When the woman got 

out of the vehicle to take 

another one, the three men 

pulled her into nearby bushes 

and took turns to rape 

her. 

The accused arrested included 

auto-rickshaw driver 

Mohammed Irfan, Garib 

and Poppu. 

Irfan had tried to commit 

suicide in police custody 

this week by stabbing 

himself with a glass that he 

broke in the prison cell. 

Madame Tussauds opens in Delhi 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: India's first 

Madame Tussauds wax 

museum opened its doors 

here on Thursday with 50 

life-like figures spanning 

across history, sports, music, 

films and politics, for 

the public at the iconic 

Regal building in central 

Delhi. 

"This is truly an exhilarating 

and emotional feeling 

to finally see Madame 

Tussauds in Delhi. Guests 

will be encouraged to interact, 

perform and even 

reflect with our figures 

in unique and immersive 

settings within the attraction," 

Anshul Jain, General 

Manager and Director, 

Merlin Entertainment Pvt 

Ltd, said here. 

Madame Tussauds has 

been a successful tourist attraction 

in places like London, 

Las Vegas, New York, 

Orlando, San Francisco 

and Hong Kong. Its maiden 

facility here has wax statues 

of Indian personalities 

like Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi, cinematic icon 

Amitabh Bachchan and 

Father of the Nation Mahatma 

Gandhi, along with 

many Hollywood celebrities. 

The Delhi facility is 

the 23rd edition of Madame 

Tussauds. Some other personalities 

here include Katrina 

Kaif, Madhuri Dixit, 

Kareena Kapoor Khan, 

Salman Khan, Will Smith, 

David Beckham, Kim 

Kardasian Justin Bieber, 

Beyonce Knowles, Asha 

Bhosle, Sachin Tendulkar, 

Kapil Sharma, A.P.J. Abdul 

Kalam and Ranbir Kapoor. 

It will be open for all 

seven days with tickets 

priced at Rs 960 for adults 

and Rs 760 for children. 

5 militants killed, commando 

injured in Kashmir 

Agencies 

SRINAGAR: Five militants 

were killed and a 

para commando of the 

Indian Army injured on 

Thursday in two separate 

gunfights in Kashmir Valley. 

Defence Ministry 

spokesman Colonel Rajesh 

Kalia said that four terrorists 

were killed in a gunfight 

with security forces 

in Futlipora. 

In another gunfight 

that erupted in north 

Kashmir Sagipora village 

of Sopore area in Baramulla, 

police said one militant 

has been killed so far 

while a para commando of 

the army was injured. 

"The operation against 

militants in Sagipora village 

is still on," police said. 

In the gunfight at Futlipora 

village, following specific 

information about the 

presence of militants, the 

security forces had surrounded 

the village in Pakherpora 

area of Badgam 

district in the morning. 

'As the security forces 

closed in on the hiding militants, 

the security forces 

were fired upon triggering 

the encounter," a police officer 

said. 

Goa and Italy are Indians' favourite holiday destinations 


NEW DELHI: Goa and Italy 

are on top of the mind for 

Indians when they plan gastronomic 

holidays, reveals 

a survey. 

The finding is part of 

travel site TripAdvisor's 

second edition of its annual 

2017 India Gastronomy 

Survey. The survey was 

conducted with an aim to 

uncover key habits and 

preferences of Indians with 

respect to dining out, and 

how much food influences 

holiday planning. 

One of the results of the 

survey -- conducted online 

in the third week of November 

among TripAdvisor's 

India survey panel -- indicates 

that three out of five 

Indians are set to undertake 

a gastronomic getaway in 

2018. 

Indians frequent restaurants 

often (35 per cent 'one 

to two' times per month and 

33 per cent once per week), 

but it gains more importance 

while travelling as 48 

per cent of the respondents 

said dining out and restaurant 

selection is important 

to their overall trip experience. 

As many as 74 per cent 

respondents said they have 

either planned or intend to 

plan a gastronomic getaway 

soon to a destination specifically 

'to try the food it is 

famous' for and 71 per cent 

of them said they even have 

plans to visit a 'particular 

restaurant' at their travel 

spot, 

Within India, Goa is a 

top favourite with 49 per 

cent voting for it, followed 

by Kerala (35 per cent) and 

Lucknow (33 per cent) as 

places people would love to 

visit specifically for their 

cuisine. Abroad, Italy takes 

the lead with 90 per cent, 

with Thailand (34 percent) 

and France (26 per cent) as 

other options. 

"India is a gastronomical 

paradise with its wide 

array of cuisines and it is 

said that there is no better 

way to experience Indian 

culture than through food. 

"The findings from the 

2017 India Gastronomic Survey 

underscore the importance 

of food on holiday and 

that Indians are only set to 

become even more thoughtful 

about the foodie experiences 

they have whether 

they are travelling domestically 

or overseas," Nikhil 

Ganju, Country Manager, 

TripAdvisor India, said in a 

statement.

The International News Weekly India 


What does Miss World Manushi 

Chhillar say on Padmavati row? 

Agencies 

MUMBAI: Miss World 

Manushi Chhillar has 

said Indian women "do not 

feel persecuted and face 

challenges head-on" even 

though there is a feeling 

that "our society is not 

very woman-friendly". 

Manushi said this during 

a media interaction 

here on Monday. She was 

expressing her views over 

the row surrounding Sanjay 

Leela Bhansali's upcoming 

film "Padmavati". 

"All Indian women 

have one thing in common... 

we don't feel persecuted 

for who we are and 

actually face our challenges 

head-on. "I think that's 

what we need to do, we 

need to be confident about 

who we are," she said on 

the death threats received 

by Deepika Padukone, who 

plays the lead in Bhansali's 

magnum opus on the Chittor 

queen. 

"We will face a lot of 

limitations and sometimes 

we do feel that it is not a 

very woman-friendly society. 

"But as individuals, 

we should just set an example 

and make women 

feel confident that you can 

do amazing things as well," 

she added. 

As part of the Miss 

World pageant, contestants 

were supposed to perform 

one dance from their 

respective countries. 

Manushi chose to 

dance to "Dhol Baaje" song 

from Bhansali's "Goliyon 

Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela". 

It was also picturised on 

Deepika. 

"All the girls used to 

dance to that song during 

rehearsal. I am happy that 

in a way, I could bring India 

in front of the world," 

said Manushi. 

To her Bollywood 

calling, anytime soon, 

Manushi said: "I am really 

excited about travelling 

next year. We will be 

visiting four continents, 

and spreading awareness 

about menstrual hygiene. 

"Bollywood is just 

something that is not on 

my mind as of now so I really 

can't say anything about 

it." Manushi also said she 

loves to read books. She 

would like to work with 

Aamir Khan. Former Miss 

World Priyanka Chopra is 

her favourite actress. 

India's Re 1 note 

completes 100 years 


Later, the promise was removed for this denomination. 

"As people were increasingly melting silver 

one rupee coins during World War I, the number of 

coins were reducing from the market. At that time the 

British government planned to introduce this note," 

Sushil Kumar Agrawal, CEO of mintageworld.com, 

an online museum of coins, stamps and currency 

notes, told IANS. 

In its 100-year journey, design of One Rupee note 

was changed 44 times. The one Rupee note is the only 

currency printed by the Government of India and not 

by the Reserve Bank, and is signed by the Finance 

Secretary. 

Though printing of One Rupee note was discontinued 

in 1994, it was re-introduced during 2015-16 financial 

year after a gap of 21 years. The re-introduction 

was more on nostalgic value than actual usage. 

Asked about the reason, Agrawal said perhaps collectors' 

demand for One Rupee note was the reason 

behind the re-printing. 

"It does not as such have any value and the printing 

cost is certainly much higher than the value of the 

note" he said. 

Talking about One Rupee note's 100-year journey, 

founding Partner of Numismatic Auction House and 

founder of Oswal Antiques, Girish Jagshi Veera told 

IANS that the government might have reintroduced 

the currency because it is the basic currency of the 

country. 

But we do not get to see the note too often. It is 

learnt that a bundle of 100 one rupee notes is sold for 

Rs 600 in grey markets of Zaveri Bazaar in Mumbai 

and Chandni Chowk in Delhi. Collectors do not mind 

shelling out premium for the notes. 

In fact, different years of printing can fetch 

vastly different prices. A one rupee note of 1985 

signed by Finance Secretary S. Venkitaramanan was 

sold for Rs 2,75,000 at Classical Numismatics Gallery 

on January 21, 2017. Another one, of 1944, issued 

by British India, signed C.E. Jones, was sold for Rs 

130,000 for a pack of 100 at Todywalla Auctions in October 

2009. 

The note, for all practical purposes, has become a 

collector's item. 

'Padmavati' row based on rumours: 

Bhansali tells Parliamentary panel 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: In the midst 

of a raging controversy over 

his film "Padmavati", director 

Sanjay Leela Bhansali on 

Thursday appeared before 

a Parliamentary committee 

here and maintained that 

the row over the yet-to-be released 

movie was just based 

on rumours, strongly rejecting 

charges that he had distorted 

historical facts about 

the 16th century Rajput 

queen. Bhansali was grilled 

for over two hours by members 

of the Parliamentary 

Standing Committee on IT 

as he appeared before it in 

Parliament House with Prasoon 

Joshi, who heads the 

Central Board of Film Certification 

(CBFC). 

Sources told IANS that 

the filmmaker was asked 

why he had screened the 

movie for a few select journalists 

even before it was 

cleared by the censor board. 

"All the controversy 

over the film is based on rumours. 

I have not distorted 

facts. The film is based on a 

poem by Malik Muhammad 

Jayasi," Bhansali said, referring 

to the 16th century 

Indian sufi poet's epic poem 

"Padmavat". 

"We don't intend to 

hurt anyone's sentiments," 

Bhansali told the 30-member 

panel headed by BJP MP Anurag 

Thakur. Among those 

who attended the meeting 

were Congress' Raj Babbar 

and BJP patriarch L.K. Advani. 

Thakur in a statement 

said he raised a few questions 

in view of the "Padmavati" 

controversy and get 

them addressed. 

"How and why did this 

divide and controversy 

erupt, why is a huge amount 

of money of taxpayers being 

utilized towards providing 

security in wake of this 

issue, why was the movie 

showcased to a select media, 

even before screening it to 

CBFC. A movie is meant for 

entertainment, not for creating 

a tensed atmosphere 

across the country. This 

meeting has been called 

upon to discuss all these issues 

at length, bring all the 

relevant stakeholders on a 

common platform to eventually 

reach a consensus." 

The director has been 

given time till December 14 

to give a written reply to the 

panel about the movie and 

the controversy surrounding 

it. Thakur said the media 

too played a role in creating 

a perception amongst 

the audience, referring to 

death threats against Deepika 

Padukone who is playing 

the title role. The cases 

registered against the people 

who issued inflammatory 

statements by the respective 

state governments was not 

played up by the media. This 

at times leads to forming a 

negative mindset amongst 

the audience, he noted. 

The Parliamentary panel 

had asked him to attend its 

meeting to explain his point 

of view as several states 

have threatened to block the 

screening of the film, which 

was earlier scheduled for release 

on Friday. 

The film stoked controversy 

over assumptions that 

it has a dream sequence depicting 

romance between 

Rajput warrior queen 

Padmini and Delhi sultan 

Alauddin Khilji. 

Joshi told the panel that 

the censor board was yet to 

take a decision about the 

movie as it would be shown 

to regional and central 

screening committees. 

Earlier in the day, the 

censor board chief also appeared 

before the Parliamentary 

Committee on Petitions 

to brief its members 

about the controversy. Joshi 

is believed to have told the 

panel that the film had not 

yet been approved and the 

board only cleared the trailer 

and promos of the period 

film. 

Members who raised objections 

against the movie 

include Congress' C.P. Joshi, 

BJP's O.M. Birla and Shiv 

Sena's Rajan Vichare. They 

also sought ban on airing the 

promos of the film. 

The Rajput Karni Sena, 

an organisation of the Rajput 

community, has urged 

a nationwide ban on "Padmavati". 

Activists of the 

Sena and some other groups 

have been protesting against 

the movie, claiming it "distorts" 

historical facts. As six 

states, including Rajasthan, 

have already announced 

that they will not release the 

film, the Supreme Court on 

Tuesday took exception to 

people holding official positions 

making "prejudicial 

comments" about the movie, 

saying these breached the 

principle of rule of law. 

The apex court asked 

when the matter was pending 

for consideration before 

CBFC, how could persons in 

public authority comment 

on whether the censor board 

should issue certificate or 

not.

The International News Weekly WORLD 


15 

Canadian among victims of 

'online' rape by Swedish man 

Agencies 

OSLO: A Swedish man has been 

found guilty of raping young 

girls, including one Canadian 

victim, strictly on the basis of his 

threatening and coercive online 

interactions with them. 

Thursday's verdict against 

Bjorn Samstrom, 41, marks the 

sixth time he has been convicted 

of offences involving forcing minors 

to perform sexual acts. 

The latest case involved allegations 

of sexual coercion 

against 27 victims in Canada, 

the United States and Scotland, 

according to prosecutor Annika 

Wennerstrom. 

She said court heard that 

Samstrom would threaten to 

post photos of the victims on pornography 

sites or to kill their relatives 

unless they performed sex 

acts as he watched from Sweden. 

Wennerstrom said Samstrom 

was found guilty of 59 of the nearly 

100 charges he faced, including 

four counts of aggravated rape of 

a child. One of those convictions, 

she said, pertained to a Canadian 

girl who was 13 at the time. 

Samstrom has been sentenced 

to 10 years in prison for 

the convictions. 

Wennerstrom said the verdict 

sets a new precedent for 

sex crimes perpetrated over the 

internet. Despite what she described 

as a positive outcome, 

however, Wennerstrom said she 

plans to appeal the verdict on the 

grounds that the new precedent 

may be too stringent. 

She said the rape convictions 

were obtained for situations 

when the victim was totally 

alone in a room and being forced 

to perform particularly explicit 

sex acts on camera. 

She argued the bar needs to 

be set lower. 

"We have penetrations with 

long durations, and pain, and 

agony, and the children are 

afraid, and they cry, and it's still 

not enough," Wennerstrom said 

of the cases that did not lead to 

convictions. "So we are not completely 

content with this outcome 

because we think that it 

should be enough." 

Both sides have three weeks 

to file an appeal, an avenue Samstrom's 

defence lawyer suggested 

he too may choose to pursue. 

"He has been convicted of 

crimes which he does not consider 

he is guilty of. So it is very 

possible that he appeals," Kronje 

Samuelsson told Swedish news 

agency TT. Samstrom admitted 

coercing the teens — all under 

age 15 at the time — but denied 

his actions constituted rape. 

Wennerstrom said the ruling 

is the first of its kind in Sweden, 

adding she knows of no other 

countries with a similar conviction 

on record. 

She said Samstrom had a 

long history of similar offences 

dating back to his teens. 

She said the latest case 

marked the sixth time he came 

before the court. 

Samstrom lived alone near 

Uppsala, some 70 kilometres 

north of Stockholm, at the time 

of his most recent arrest. The 

international case came to light 

when Samstrom was being investigated 

for another coercion 

case involving Swedish victims, 

Wennerstrom said. 

During that investigation, 

police found videos at his home 

of girls speaking English. Swedish 

investigators contacted counterparts 

in Canada, Britain and 

the United States, who located 

18 of the 26 girls and interviewed 

them. None were present at the 

trial, but their videotaped testimonies 

were played in court. 

The other nine victims were 

never identified. 

100 Chinese couples 

to take part in mass 

wedding in Sri Lanka 

Agencies 

COLOMBO: One hundred Chinese couples will visit Sri 

Lanka next month to take part in a mass wedding in the 

island country, Sri Lanka's Megapolis and Western Development 

Ministry announced on Wednesday. 

The Ministry said the event, the first of its kind in Sri 

Lanka, was expected to further increase ties between Sri 

Lanka and China, reports Xinhua news agency. The mass 

wedding would be held on December 17 in Colombo under 

the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena and 

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Some 400 guests 

will attend. Tourism Minister John Amaratunga told reporters 

that the event will help promote the island nation 

as an ideal wedding destination. 

The mass wedding will be followed by a Sri Lanka- 

China food festival at a luxury resort in Colombo. Leading 

chefs from both China and Sri Lanka will take part 

in the festival. The couples will later be taken on a tour 

of Yala, Sigiriya and Kandy, popular tourist spots in Sri 

Lanka. Sri Lanka has become a popular destination for 

Chinese tourists, with China currently being the second 

largest market. 

Pakistani kills wife over cold dinner 

Agencies 

I am biggest supporter of Hafiz Saeed: Musharraf 

Agencies 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's 

former President Pervez 

Musharraf has said he is 

the "biggest supporter" of 

the outlawed Lashkar-e- 

Taiba (LeT) and expressed 

his liking for its founder 

Hafiz Saeed, blamed for 

the horrific 2008 Mumbai 

terror attack. 

"I am the biggest supporter 

of LeT and I know 

they like me and JuD 

(Jamaat-ud-Dawa) also 

likes me," Musharraf told 

Pakistan's ARY News this 

week, referring to the 

groups founded by Saeed. 

JuD is the LeT's charitable 

wing classified by the 

US and the UN as a terror 

group. 

Asked if he liked 

Saeed, who has a $10 million 

US bounty on his 

head for his role in terror 

activities, the former 

Pakistan Army chief said 

he does and that he had 

met him. 

Saeed was freed after 

10 months of house arrest 

last week after Islamabad 

failed to submit proof to a 

court to back charges that 

his release would lead to 

law and order problems. 

Acknowledging that 

the JuD and LeT were 

waging a "jihad" to liberate 


from India, Musharraf 

said: "Yes, they are involved 

in Kashmir and I 

support them." 

Musharraf said in the 

interview that he had always 

favoured "action" in 

Kashmir. 

"I was always in favour 

of action in Kashmir 

and of suppressing the 

Indian Army in Kashmir. 

They are the biggest force 

(LeT), India got them 

declared as terrorist by 

partnering with the US." 

New Delhi accuses 

Pakistan of arming, training 

and financing militant 

groups fighting to secede 


from India. 

Musharraf denied the 

LeT was involved in the 

Mumbai terror attack 

that left 166 Indians and 

foreigners dead. "I don't 

think Saeed was behind 

the 26/11 attack. In Pakistan, 

we don't call him a 

terrorist." 

Death for 139 in 2009 Bangla mutiny stays 

LAHORE: A woman was murdered by her husband following 

a petty argument after she apparently served him 

cold food, the police said. 

After an exchange of hot words, Feroz Khan, a resident 

of Sargodha, murdered his wife Roshan Bibi and 

fled the spot, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. 

The body was handed over to the family after legal 

formalities. The police have registered a case against the 

accused. 

Agencies 

DHAKA: A Bangladesh 

court has upheld the death 

sentences of 139 people for 

their involvement in the 

2009 mutiny at the border 

guards headquarters here 

which left 74 people dead. 

A division bench of 

Justice Nazrul Islam, Justice 

Shawkat Hossain and 

Justice Md Abu Zafor Siddique 

delivered the verdict, 

reports Xinhua news 

agency. 

The High Court division 

also upheld the 

jail terms for 196 border 

guards. 

The mutiny on February 

25 and 26, 2009 was 

staged by a group of Border 

Guard Bangladesh (BGB), 

a paramilitary force that 

guards the country's borders. 

The victims included 

civilians, the BGB Director-General 

and some 

Army officers. 

A total of 850 people 

-- 823 BGB soldiers and 23 

civilians -- were accused in 

the case. 

Among the accused, 

813 were arrested, 13 are 

on bail, 20 are on the run 

while four died in custody

The International News Weekly OFF-BEAT 


Mouthwash increases 

risk of diabetes 

Agencies 

NEW YORK: Most of us 

are in the habit of using 

mouthwash at least once or 

twice daily, as a part of oral 

hygiene. But are you aware 

that your routine may spike 

the sugar level in your blood 

within no time? 

People who use mouthwash 

at least twice daily are 

at approximately 55 per cent 

higher risk of developing diabetes, 

when compared to less 

frequent users, found a new 

study. The study, published 

in the journal Nitric Oxide, 

stated that most mouthwash 

contain antibacterial ingredients, 

which could impact 

the production of oral microbes 

that may hamper the 

nitric oxide formation in the 

mouth. 

This in turn might predispose 

to metabolic disorders, 

cause major shifts in 

blood pressure levels and 

lead to an increased risk of 

diabetes, at the same time. 

"Our aim was to evaluate 

the association between 

baseline over-the-counter 

mouthwash use and development 

of pre-diabetes/diabetes 

over a 3-year follow-up," 

said Kaumudi J Joshipura, 

researcher at Harvard University. 

"The indiscriminate 

routine use of antibacterial 

mouthwash products may 

cause more harm than good, 

in light of recent studies, and 

further supported by findings 

from this study," the 

researcher was quoted in an 

interview to the Telegraph. 

The researchers studied 

over 1,206 overweight 

individuals aged between 

40 and 65 years, but without 

the prevalence of any major 

cardiovascular diseases or 

diabetes. It was found that 

43 per cent of the participants 

used mouthwash at least 

once daily and 22 per cent 

used mouthwash at least 

twice a daily. Both the categories 

of population were 

at a higher risk of high blood 

sugar problems. 

The finding showed that 

mouthwash use lower than 

twice daily showed no association, 

suggesting a threshold 

effect at twice or more daily. 

Eating garlic is good 

to fight cystic fibrosis 

Agencies 

NEW YORK: Consuming garlic, which contains an active 

sulphurous compound, can help fight the robust bacteria 

found in chronic infections like cystic fibrosis, researchers 

have found. The findings showed that the sulphurous 

compound ajoene in garlic appears to offer the most powerful, 

naturally occurring resistance to bacteria and is able 

to destroy important components in the bacteria's communication 

systems, which involve regulatory RNA molecules. 

Ajoene also damages the protective slimy matrix 

surrounding the bacteria, the so-called biofilm. 

When the biofilm is destroyed or weakened, both antibiotics 

and the body's own immune system are able to attack 

the bacteria more directly and thus remove the infection. 

"We really believe this method can lead to treatment 

of patients, who otherwise have poor prospects, because 

chronic infections like cystic fibrosis can be very robust," 

said Tim Holm Jakobsen, assistant professor at the University 

of Copenhagen in Denmark. 

"But now we have enough knowledge to further develop 

the garlic drug and test it on patients." The study, published 

in the journal Scientific Reports, found that ajoene's 

has the ability to inhibit small regulatory RNA molecules 

in two types of bacteria -- Staphylococcus aureus (responsible 

for skin infections) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 

(known to cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections). 

Why women are 

at more risk of 

asthma than men 

Agencies 

NEW YORK: Women are more likely to suffer from 

asthma than men because of the absence of testosterone 

-- the male sex hormone -- which prevents lungs 

from inhaling harmful pollen, dust or other airborne 

allergens, finds a study. 

The findings showed that testosterone acts on 

immune cells that act as first line of defenders of the 

body against invading viruses. 

These immune cells are linked to asthma symptoms, 

such as inflammation and mucus production 

in the lungs, which causes airways to narrow during 

an asthma attack. "Initially we thought that ovarian 

hormones would increase inflammation, more so 

than testosterone making it better," said Dawn Newcomb, 

from the Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, 

the US. "I was surprised to see that testosterone was 

more important in reducing inflammation," Newcomb 

said. 

Prior studies have showed before puberty boys 

have approximately 1.5 times higher rate of asthma 

than girls. That trend reverses after puberty, when 

women are twice likely to have asthma as men. 

This pattern continues until women hit menopause, 

and then the asthma rates in women start to 

decline, the researchers said. 

For the study, appearing in the journal Cell Reports, 

the team focused on lung cells called Group 2 

innate lymphoid cells, or ILC2 cells -- which make cytokines, 

proteins that cause inflammation and mucus 

production in the lungs, making it harder to breathe. 

The researchers collected blood from people with 

and without asthma and found that those with asthma 

had more ILC2 cells than those without. Asthmatic 

women were found with more ILC2 cells than men. 

In addition, when the researchers added testosterone, 

to the ILC2 cells, they found that the male 

hormone prevented the cells from expanding and reduced 

the production of cytokines. 

However,"sex hormones are not the only mechanism 

but, rather, one of many mechanisms that could 

be regulating airway inflammation", Newcomb said. 

Why red wine is better than beer 

Agencies 

Agencies 

LONDON: Cerebral palsy is a neurological 

disorder that develops in 

early childhood and permanently 

damages the speech, movement and 

posture, vision and learning disabilities 

of a child. 

The findings showed that babies 

born to mothers who took aspirin 

were almost two-and-a-half times 

more likely to develop the life-long 

and incurable condition. While babies 

exposed to paracetamol were 30 

per cent more likely to have overall 

cerebral palsy and 50 per cent more 

likely to have it on one side. Ibuprofen 

had little or no impact, the Daily 

LONDON: If you want to 

feel relaxed after a hard 

day, better order wine or 

beer. Save the spirits for 

days you need to boost confidence 

or need to feel sexy, 

suggests the largest ever 

study examining how different 

alcoholic drinks affect 

emotions. 

The analysis included 

the responses of nearly 

30,000 adults aged between 

18 and 34. 

Around 59 per cent of 

the respondents associated 

spirits -- like vodka, gin, 

whiskey and other hard 

alcohols -- with feelings of 

energy and confidence. 

And more than four out 

of 10 associated them with 

feeling sexy, showed the 

study published in the journal 

BMJ Open. 

Spirits were, however, 

the least likely to be associated 

with feeling relaxed. 

Just 20 per cent felt so. Red 

wine was the most likely to 

elicit this feeling (just under 

53 per cent) followed by 

beer (around 50 per cent). 

Drinking spirits was 

also more likely to draw 

out negative feelings than 

all the other types of alcohol. 

Nearly a third (30 per 

cent) of spirit drinkers associated 

this tipple with 

feelings of aggression compared 

with around 2.5 per 

cent of red wine drinkers. 

"Understanding emotions 

associated with alcohol 

consumption is imperative 

to addressing alcohol 

Mail reported. 

The biggest danger seemed to be 

from taking the painkillers in the 

middle stage of a pregnancy -- a crucial 

time for brain development. 

This is because drugs 

such as paracetamol and 

aspirin could trigger toxic 

conditions in the developing 

brain that lead to permanent 

damage, or could disrupt the 

normal level of a mother's 

hormones needed to regulate 

brain development. 

"The safety of these drugs now 

needs to be further evaluated and 

women should be further cautioned 

about their use in pregnancy," said 

misuse, providing insight 

into what emotions influence 

drink choice between 

different groups in the 

population," the researchers 

said. 

The responses differed 

by gender and category of 

alcohol dependency. 

The findings showed 

that men were significantly 

more likely to associate 

feelings of aggression 

with all types of alcohol, as 

were those categorised as 

heavy/dependent drinkers, 

who were six times more 

likely to do so than low risk 

drinkers. 

And heavy drinkers 

were more likely to select 

any drink that was associated 

for them with feelings 

of aggression and tearfulness 

when at home or when 

out. 

Why you should avoid Aspirin during pregnancy 

researchers the from the University 

of Copenhagen in Denmark 

For the study, published in the 

International Journal of Epidemiology, 

the researchers examined 1,85,617 

mothers and their babies. 

Around 5,000 of the women 

took aspirin and a similar 

number took ibuprofen. 

Nearly 90,000 -- almost half -- 

admitted taking paracetamol 

while expecting. The team 

found 357 babies went on to 

develop brain-related problems - and 

those born to mothers who took aspirin 

were at the higher risk of developing 

cerebral palsy on both sides of 

the body.

The International News Weekly VIEW 


17 

Actors are perceived as magicians in 

India, but performers in West: Irrfan 

By Arundhuti Banerjee 

MUMBAI: Acclaimed Indian 

talent Irrfan Khan, 

who has dabbled in Bollywood 

and Hollywood, says 

the key difference between 

performing in the two industries 

lies in how the audience 

perceives an actor 

-- for one, the parameter is 

engagement and charisma, 

while for the other, it is the 

nuance and subtlety. 

"I think the most interesting 

part of exploring 

both the worlds of cinema 

-- Bollywood and Hollywood 

-- is how the audience 

perceives an actor. In our 

(Indian) cinema, actors are 

like a magician who come 

on screen and do something 

to engage and mesmerise. 

On the other hand, 

in the West, actors are performers, 

and the audience 

looks for a certain amount 

of nuance, subtleness. 

"It is really an interesting 

area to explore for an 

India needs to bring archaic laws 

into 21st century: Lord Rana 

By Vishav 

NEW DELHI: Even as India moved into the top 100 for the 

first time in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business global 

rankings, there's a lot more that needs to be done to keep up 

with the rest of the world, said Diljit Rana, one of the UK's 

top businessmen and a member of the House of Lords. Rana, 

originally from Punjab who built a £60 million empire from 

scratch in Northern Ireland, said there was an urgent need 

to bring India's archaic regulations into the 21st century 

environment. Planning to build a world-class university in 

Punjab, Rana told IANS in an interview that he faced serious 

bureaucratic hurdles. 

"Planning laws are a bit outdated here. For university 

approval, there is a mandatory condition which requires 

to have so much land. Like in Punjab, to get approval as 

a private university, the minimum land requirement is 

35 acres," Rana told IANS in an interview during a visit 

here. "But there are many universities across the world 

which have much less land. And they are world famous 

universities. So to put a condition for having so much land 

for university approval -- especially in the age where we are 

going all electronic -- it does not feel right," he said. 

He added that land in Punjab is anyway scarce and 

very expensive and instead of such requirements, the focus 

should be on the quality of education. 

"What we should be concerned about is the quality of 

teaching, the faculty and the collaboration with foreign 

universities to lift our standards. Because the world is 

changing so much and so fast that half of what we teach 

these days, nobody would need those subjects in 20 years 

time. We need to concern ourselves with that," he added. 

Rana currently runs an education project -- Lord Rana Edu- 

City -- in Sanghol, his birthplace in Punjab, where too he 

had faced problems with the bureaucracy as the grant for 

Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students amounting to 

around Rs 2 crore had been pending with the government for 

around two-and-a-half years now, he said. "First, the Akali Dal 

government kept delaying and now the new government said 

they had no funds," said Rana, who met the Finance Minister 

and the Chief Minister of Punjab regarding the issue. 

actor like me," Irrfan told 

IANS. 

Iconic film directors 

like Mira Nair, Colin 

Trevorrow and Danny 

Boyle have worked with 

Irrfan in international 

projects. Some of the titles 

he has worked in include 

"The Warrior", "A Mighty 

Heart", "The Namesake", 

"Slumdog Millionaire", 

"Life of Pi" and "Jurassic 

World". Irrfan may not be 

among the blockbuster 

Khans of Bollywood, but 

he has made his mark as 

a critically acclaimed performer 

who has strengthened 

Indian presence in 

films internationally. 

Critics praise his performance 

for intangible 

elements and for how he 

can convey a situation or a 

reaction with mere silence 

sometimes. 

He says there's a 

thought behind it. 

Explaining how he adds 

"soul" to any written character, 

Irrfan said: "In 

the National School 

of Drama, we learned 

how to perform, deliver 

a dialogue or monologue, 

and how to carry 

a certain body language 

for a character that we 

are playing. But the 

thought that always 

played in my 

mind is how 

a character 

establishes its 

relevance in 

silence, without 

uttering a 

dialogue. 

"In film acting 

especially, 

it works -- a 

small expression, 

a small 

silence and then 

amalgamate it 

with the subtext of 

the situation." 

However, he believes, 

one has to be 

very careful about 

improvisation as 

By Radhika Bhirani 

Indian showbiz is 

going through "difficult 

times", but it's a phase 

that shall pass if content 

providers remain focussed 

on maintaining quality and 

universal appeal, says N.P. 

Singh, CEO, Sony Pictures 

Networks India. 

According to KPMG 

India-FICCI Indian Media 

and Entertainment Industry 

Report 2017, television 

experienced a slower growth 

last year, while films had 

a disappointing year with 

growth down to just three 

per cent. 

"We are passing through 

some difficult times at the 

moment, but it's a phase, 

and this too shall pass, as I 

always say. We have to stay 

focused on creating topquality 

content, and content 

that will appeal to the 

viewers," Singh told IANS 

here. 

He pointed at Sony 

Pictures Networks India's 

"ambitious projects". 

On the film front, there's 

"Soorma", directed by Shaad 

Ali and starring Diljit 

Dosanjh. It will bring to light 

the story of former Indian 

hockey captain Sandeep 

Singh, who went through 

many ups and downs on the 

personal and professional 

fronts. "This film is currently 

under production," he said. 

Biopics on sportspersons 

have become trendy in 

Bollywood. 

N.P. Singh, an industry 

veteran with almost two 

decades of experience, 

reflected: "If you look at 

any of these stories, they 

are very inspiring. They 

inspire not just the youth, 

but people of all age groups, 

and, therefore, it makes 

all the more sense for us to 

showcase all these stories to 

inspire people to challenge 

themselves. 

"The fire in the belly 

inspires the youth. I hope 

Sandeep Singh's biopic 

will be inspirational too, as 

will be the one on Pullela 

Gopichand or Saina Nehwal 

and more... These are 

inspiring stories and there's 

a lot to learn from all of 

them." 

Sony Pictures Networks 

India caters to viewers via 

television, films and even 

the digital platform. The 

core idea is to produce 

content that is consumed by 

everyone and anywhere. 

"We are essentially a 

content company. We create 

a lot of content for TV, big 

screen and also digital. 

The advantage we have 

it might just 

spoil a character 

at 

times. Irrfan 

stressed that 

having this 

understanding 

is important in 

the character-building process 

for an actor. 

"For instance, in 'Maqbool', 

after improvising 

certain parts in two scenes, 

I just realised that what I 

am trying to add is taking 

away the essence of the 

character," said Irrfan, 

whose Indian filmography 

is decorated with 

projects like "Paan 

Singh Tomar" and 

"Piku". 

Pointing out 

how actors at 

times create 

their own 

comfort zone 

by improvisation, 

he said: "I 

have seen actors 

taking an unnecessary 

pause 

between lines because 

he did not 

learn the lines properly 

and is trying to 

find his own ease 

in between. For me, 

had is 22 years' experience 

of producing top-quality 

content which appeals to a 

demographic that actually 

consumes a lot of content on 

digital platforms as well. 

"So, whether it is 

Kapil Sharma's show or a 

'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah 

Chashmah'... they appeal to 

viewers on the TV screen as 

well as the smaller screen 

(phones/iPads). 

"We are backing movies 

like 'Piku' and 'Mubarakan', 

which have a very wide 

appeal. They work on 

television, they work on 

digital. So, our objective is 

to create top-quality content, 

which has a wide appeal and 

can be consumed wherever 

people want," Singh said. 

As for the television 

space, Singh said their 

latest offering is "Porus", a 

show which pays homage 

to the era when India was 

called 'Sone Ki Chidiya' for 

its richness. Produced by 

Siddharth Kumar Tewary, 

the entertainer is said to be 

one of the most expensive 

ever made for Indian 

television. 

Without delving into the 

numbers, Singh told IANS: 

"'Porus' has been mounted 

at a level that the youth has 

gotten used to watching 

courtesy digital platforms. 

that is not the right thing 

to do. 

"For a performer in a 

film, how the director is 

setting our frame of mind 

also matters," said the actor, 

who has enjoyed working 

with Vishal Bhardwaj, 

Shoojit Sircar and Tigmanshu 

Dhulia. 

The year 2017 has been 

eventful for Irrfan. 

He got commercial success 

with "Hindi Medium", 

acclaimed movies like 

"Doob: No Bed of Roses" 

and "The Song of Scorpions" 

and had another commercial 

release "Qarib Qarib 

Singlle". 

Asked if he is saying 

"yes" to more scripts these 

days instead of being too 

choosy like earlier, Irrfan 

said: "My criterion of a 

good script as the deciding 

factor has not changed. But 

scriptwriters are coming 

up with some brilliant stories 

and that is bringing all 

the changes in our cinema." 

Tough time for Indian show-biz, but it shall pass: Sony's N.P. Singh 

Even the characters and 

story itself, even though it is 

set in 350 BC, it will intrigue 

people curious about the 

golden era of India. It's 

something that will appeal 

universally." 

He said the need to bring 

out such breakthrough 

content is being felt more 

than ever due to the rapidly 

changing dynamics of the 

industry. 

"They (the dynamics) 

are certainly changing very 

rapidly and they should, 

because they have stayed 

constant for a very long 

time. It's about time that we 

started to leap forward, and 

that's what the industry is 

doing," Singh asserted. 

On their part, they have 

scored an industry first 

by letting the 100 per cent 

Intellectual Property Rights 

of "Porus" to be with the 

producer. 

Could this be a 

trendsetter? 

"It could be, but we have 

to wait and see how many 

people have the risk appetite 

to invest in a concept that 

they have conviction in. If 

more people come to us with 

that conviction and want us 

to back it, we will be happy," 

said Singh, adding that "all 

the risks have been taken by 

broadcasters till now".

The International News Weekly MONEY/REAL ESTATE 


RBC says mortgage demand up ahead of new rules 


TORONTO: Royal Bank of 

Canada saw an uptick in demand 

for mortgages this fall 

as borrowers look to secure 

loans before tougher rules 

— including a stress test — 

take effect in the new year, 

one of the bank's executives 

says. 

Neil McLaughlin, RBC's 

head of personal and commercial 

banking, told analysts 

on its fourth-quarter 

earnings call there is a 

heightened awareness of 

the banking regulator's revised 

mortgage underwriting 

guidelines, which is 

expected to reduce the maximum 

amount homebuyers 

who don't need mortgage 

insurance will be able to 

borrow. 

"We have seen a little 

bit of pull forward this fall," 

McLaughlin told analysts 

on the call Wednesday. "As 

we talk to customers, some 

of them are surprisingly 

aware of what the stress test 

is about and have decided to 

move more quickly." 

McLaughlin's comments 

came as RBC beat 

analyst expectations with 

a 12 per cent jump in its 

fourth-quarter net income 

to $2.84 billion, driven by 

double-digit year-overyear 

increases in personal 

and commercial banking, 

wealth management and 

capital markets. Its latest 

earnings for the threemonth 

period ended Oct. 31 

helped to cap off its fiscal 

year with a record $11.5 billion 

profit, up 10 per cent 

from fiscal 2016. 

It also comes as the 

banking regulator in October 

finalized changes to 

its mortgage underwriting 

guidelines — moves aimed 

at reducing risk amid high 

household indebtedness 

and rising home prices, 

particularly in Toronto and 

Vancouver. 

The revised guidelines, 

called B-20, require wouldbe 

homebuyers to prove 

they can still service their 

uninsured mortgage at a 

qualifying rate of the greater 

of the contractual mortgage 

rate plus two percentage 

points or the five-year 

benchmark rate published 

by the Bank of Canada. An 

existing stress test requires 

those with insured mortgages 

to qualify at the Bank 

of Canada benchmark fiveyear 

mortgage rate. 

Meanwhile, the Bank of 

Canada has raised interest 

rates twice in recent months 

to the current overnight 

lending rate of one per cent. 

On Tuesday, the central 

bank said in its semi-annual 

review of the financial system 

that the steady climb of 

household debt and still-hot 

housing markets remained 

top vulnerabilities. However, 

it said the new mortgage 

guidelines would help mitigate 

the risks associated 

with low-ratio mortgages 

(with down payments of 20 

per cent or more). 


Wednesday that 

more than 90 per cent of its 

mortgages are already underwritten 

at these higher 

rates, and expects the overall 

impact of these guidelines 

to be "fairly modest." 

"The vast majority of 

our portfolio and loan originations 

are not really going 

to be impacted," he said. 

The Bank of Nova Scotia's 

chief executive, Brian 

Porter, told analysts on its 

earnings call Tuesday that 

he expects the new guidelines 

to create a "five per 

cent headwind" to mortgage 

originations. 


that RBC expects "a 

similar number". 

Dave McKay, RBC's 

president and chief executive, 

said he expects mortgage 

growth to "slightly 

moderate." Canada's biggest 

lender by market capitalization 

had $142.1 billion in 

uninsured mortgages as of 

Oct. 31, up 11 per cent from 

$128 billion a year earlier. 

Bank of Canada releases white paper on digital currency 

Agencies 

CALGARY: The Bank of Canada 

is considering the merits of establishing 

a digital currency as 

interest in crypto-currencies like 

bitcoin reaches a fevered pitch. 

In a research paper released 

by the central bank Thursday, 

report authors Walter Engert and 

Ben Fung said there are merits 

to creating a central bank digital 

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Singhholder of Indian Passport No F8733701-, issed at 

TORONTO, ON 29 October 2007, permanent resident of 

#,Post office Chak Chella, Village Seechewala, Tehsil 

Shahkot, Distt Jalandhar, PUNJAB, 144701full address 

in India) & presently residing at 5 Cordgrass Crescent, 

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currency as society starts to move 

away from cash, and the bank's 

potential to reap profits off issuing 

that cash could be threatened. 

The report said a central bank 

digital currency (CBDC) could 

become a cheaper alternative to 

debit and credit cards and other 

forms of payment, making it easier 

for competition to emerge in 

the retail and large-value payment 

sectors. 

Agencies 

"With no transaction fees 

charged by the central bank, the 

benchmark CBDC would probably 

be less expensive for merchants 

than cash and credit cards." 

Some of the benefits overlap 

with those of bitcoin, ether and 

the myriad of other digital currencies 

based on cryptography that 

have emerged, though one of the 

central benefits of bitcoin and the 

like is that it is decentralized and 

NEW DELHI: Breaking a five 

quarters slump, a rise in the 

manufacturing sector's output 

pushed India's growth rate 

higher to 6.3 per cent during 

the second quarter of 2017-18, 

official data showed on Thursday. 

On a sequential basis, India's 

GDP growth for Q2 of the 

current fiscal went up to 6.3 per 

cent, from 5.7 per cent reported 

during the first quarter of 2017- 

18. 

According to data from the 

Central Statistics Office (CSO), 

the GDP for Q2 stood at Rs 31.66 

lakh crore, or a growth of 6.3 

per cent. 

"The economic activities 

not controlled by any bank. 

The value of bitcoin, the most 

well-known cryptocurrency, has 

skyrocketed this year, rising from 

about US$1,000 per coin at the 

start of the year to crest at over 

US$11,000 per coin this week. 

The interest has led to many 

new entrants into the sector and a 

few stumbles in the rush to get in 

on the rising valuations. 

Toronto-based blockchain investor 

NextBlock Global said in 

early November that it had suspended 

its initial public offering 

after allegations that it made misleading 

statements in its marketing 

materials. 

The report Thursday said 

given the complexity and uncertainty 

around introducing a central 

bank digital currency, central 

banks should proceed cautiously 

and incrementally. 

India posts 6.3 percent growth, reverses 5 quarters' slump 

Agencies 

TORONTO: The Canadian Imperial 

Bank of Commerce's 25 

per cent rise in fourth-quarter 

profits was helped by better-thanexpected 

performance in the U.S., 

while rival Toronto-Dominion 

Bank's double-digit profit lift fell 

short of market expectations 

amidst a retracement in its earnings 

south of the border. CIBC, 

Canada's fifth-largest lender, reported 

net income of $1.16 billion 

in the three months ended Oct. 31, 

up from $931 million during the 

same time in 2016. On an adjusted 

basis, CIBC's profit amounted to 

$2.81 per share, up eight per cent 

from the fourth quarter of 2016 

and beating the $2.59 in adjusted 

earnings per share expected by 

analysts surveyed by Thomson 

Reuters. The major contributor to 

CIBC's earnings continued to be 

its Canadian personal and small 

business banking division, which 

earned an adjusted quarterly profit 

of $623 million, up 11.3 per cent 

from a year earlier. 

But it was CIBC's U.S. commercial 

banking and wealth management 

unit that saw a major 

bump in profit, with net income 

for the quarter of $107 million 

— more than four times the $23 

million reported during the same 

quarter a year earlier. 

That reflected a full quarter 

of "strong performance" from 

The PrivateBank, after CIBC purchased 

its parent PrivateBancorp 

for roughly US$5 billion in June 

and rebranded it in September 

as CIBC Bank USA."U.S. commercial 

banking and wealth management 

continue to exceed our 

expectations ... The former PrivateBank 

showed one of its best 

quarters ever," CIBC president 

and chief executive Victor Dodig 

told analysts on a conference call 

Thursday. That purchase, along 

with the acquisition of private 

wealth management firm Geneva 

Advisors also headquartered in 

Chicago, was part of CIBC's strategy 

to deepen its presence in the 

U.S. and generate 25 per cent of its 

profits from south of the border in 

the medium term. 

Meanwhile, its larger rival 

TD earned $2.71 billion in its latest 

which registered growth of 

over 6 per cent in Q2 of 2017-18 

over Q2 of 2016-17 are 'manufacturing', 

‘electricity, gas, water 

supply & other utility services' 

and ‘trade, hotels, transport & 

communication and services 

related to broadcasting'," the 

document on the estimates of 

GDP for the Q2 of 2017-18 said. 

"The growth in the 'agriculture, 

forestry and fishing', 'mining 

and quarrying', 'construction', 

'financial, insurance, real 

estate and professional services' 

and 'public administration, 

defence and other services' is 

estimated to be 1.7 per cent, 

5.5 per cent, 2.6 per cent, 5.7 

per cent and 6 per cent respectively, 

during this period," the 

data said. 

CIBC beats expectations, TD falls short 

quarter, up 17.8 per cent from $2.3 

billion a year ago, boosted by its 

Canadian and U.S. retail banking 

business. Canada's biggest lender 

by assets (TSX:TD) said Thursday 

the profit amounted to $1.42 

per diluted share for the quarter 

ended Oct. 31, up from $1.20 per 

diluted share in the same quarter 

last year. "Q4 was a great quarter 

for TD and a strong finish to fiscal 

2017," said TD president and chief 

executive Bharat Masrani on a 

call with analysts. On an adjusted 

basis, TD said it earned $1.36 per 

diluted share, compared with 

$1.22 per diluted share a year ago. 

Analysts had expected an adjusted 

profit of $1.39 per diluted share, 

according to those surveyed by 

Thomson Reuters.

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The International News Weekly ENTERTAINMENT 


'Kal Ho Naa Ho' holds special 

memory for Karan Johar 

My kids are my biggest 

guru: Kajol 

Agencies 

MUMBAI: Filmmaker Karan Johar says "Kal Ho Naa 

Ho" is a memory that's "heartbreaking" and yet "full of 

heart". 

Co-directed by Nikkhil Advani and Ron Reid Jr, "Kal 

Ho Naa Ho" clocked 14 years of its release on Tuesday. 

The film was released under Karan's home banner Dharma 

Productions. 

"14 years Of 'Kal Ho Naa Ho', a film that I will always 

strongly associate with my father. A memory that is both 

heartbreaking and yet full of heart," Karan tweeted. 

Karan said the film's title song is his "strength mantra 

for life". The film, a love triangle, starred Shah Rukh 

Khan, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan. 

Currently, Karan is busy with "Dhadak" and "Student 

Of The Year 2". 

Agencies 

MUMBAI: Actress Kajol, 

a mother of two, says her 

children are her biggest 

gurus. 

"I've been learning 

from my kids ever since 

I was pregnant. I have 

learned a lot from my 

kids. My biggest gurus 

are my kids. I learn something 

new from them 

every day," Kajol, who 

was present on Wednesday 

at an event here for 

Lifebuoy's Help A Child 

Reach 5 campaign. 

"Sometimes there are 

words which I don't understand 

when they are 

talking, so they tell me 

the meaning with a lot of 

patience and ease. Sometimes 

it's their habits or 

outlook which I learn 

from. The most important 

thing I've learned from 

my kids is patience," Kajol 

added. 

She said she uses love 

and little threats when 

trying to make her children 

-- daughter Nysa and 

son Yug -- pick up a habit. 

But giving them knowledge 

is the right way. 

"The most important 

thing is that I believe 

when teaching a child, 

whatever it might be, you 

need to tell the reason 

behind it because every 

child asks the same thing, 

'Mom, why?' 

"So we can impart 

as much knowledge (to 

them) as possible. Make 

them understand the importance 

of its necessity 

and its benefits and keep 

doing it repeatedly. I am 

sure it will remain in 

their minds and form a 

habit." 

Asked how she and 

her husband Ajay Devgn 

react to being caught doing 

something wrong by 

their children, she said: 

"If I am wrong and they 

catch it, then I apologize 

and rectify it. 

"Ajay is perfect. He 

never makes any mistakes 

(laughs). He has 

OCD (Obsessive-compulsive 

disorder) when it 

comes to cleanliness. He 

keeps washing his hands 

over and over again. He 

is very conscious about 

it and keeps telling us to 

keep things clean." 

I love diamonds, but can't afford them: Disha Patani 

Agencies 

MUMBAI: Actress Disha 

Patani, who will be seen 

with Tiger Shroff in "Baaghi 

2", says she loves diamonds, 

but can't afford to buy them 

as of now. 

"Personally, I like diamonds, 

but as of now, I can't 

afford to buy it. And as I 

mostly go to the gym and 

other places, I don't get a 

chance to wear diamonds. 

Harrdy Sandhu releases 'Naah' 

But of course, I love diamonds," 

said Disha at the 

preview of Forevermark 

and Om Jewellers' festive 

collection here on Wednesday. 

On her personal style 

statement, Disha said: "I 

just wear what I like and 

I don't like to know much 

about style and what's going 

on in fashion. What I 

like, I usually wear that. 

Plus, I have a great team of 

make-up men and stylist, so 

they always come up with 

new ideas." Her upcoming 

projects include Tamil film 

"Sanghamitra" and then 

"Baaghi 2". 

"I am going to start the 

shooting of 'Sanghamitra' 

from next month and we 

are halfway through the 

'Baaghi 2' shoot. It is shaping 

up well. Everybody is 

working hard on it, so let's 

see," Disha told the media. 

Dia Mirza appointed UNEP 

Goodwill Ambassador 

Sunny Leone to tell 

daughter Nisha she 

is adopted 

Agencies 

Mumbai : Bollywood star Sunny Leone, who adopted 

a 21-month-old girl from an orphanage in Mumbai, India 

earlier this year, has said she’s clear that Nisha 

will know she has been adopted. 

“Nothing will remain a secret for Nisha. Yes! Indeed 

we have to disclose this fact to her,'' Sunny tells 

Deccan Chronicle. 

“Right from the adoption papers and every minute 

things we have of her, will be shown to her,” she says. 

Sunny says, “I am not her real mom. But I am connected 

to her soul. I am her mom after adopting her.” 

Agencies 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: Singer Harrdy Sandhu on Thursday released 

his contemporary pop single "Naah", featuring actress Nora 

Fatehi in its video. 

"I am extremely excited about this song. A lot went behind 

curating this and I had a great time shooting for this. 

Nora is a natural dancer and I really thank her for being my 

partner in this one," Harrdy, known for songs like "Soch" 

and "Backbone", said in a statement. 

The video was shot in Bangkok over two days. 

"Harrdy Sandhu is a hugely talented and hardworking 

artiste. Being a perfectionist, he is making a mark in the 

industry in his inimitable way. This song will add to his 

global recognition. This is the beginning of a great association," 

said Sanujeet Bhujabal, Marketing Director, Sony 

Music India. 

MUMBAI: Actress-producer 

Dia Mirza has been 

appointed UN Environment 

Programme's Goodwill Ambassador 

for India. 

Dia, who is also the 

brand ambassador for the 

Wildlife Trust of India, will 

take up the role to add more 

weight to her work on raising 

awareness and seeking 

solutions for environmental 

issues that the world, and India 

in particular, faces, read 

a statement on Thursday. 

"I feel honoured and inspired 

by this opportunity to 

work with UN Environment 

to protect the environment 

and promote sustainable development. 

"Environmental issues 

will be the defining challenge 

of this era, and I am committed 

to helping the UN as a 

Goodwill Ambassador to do 

everything I can to provide a 

better future," said Dia. 

She added: "Together, 

we will continue working 

towards conservation of nature, 

tackling climate change 

and inspiring people to live 

more sustainably."

The International News Weekly Sports 


21 

Virat Kohli, CoA agree on pay hike for cricketers 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: Indian skipper 

Virat Kohli and his predecessor 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday 

met with the Supreme Court 

appointed-Committee of Administrators 

(CoA) to discuss a number 

of issues, including the salaries of 

cricketers and the Future Tours 

and Programme (FTP). 

Besides Kohli and Dhoni, head 

coach Ravi Shastri also attended 

the meeting with CoA chairman 

Vinod Rai, CoA member Diana 

Edulji and BCCI CEO Rahul 

Johri, where issues like the player 

retainership policy and annual retainership 

fee were also discussed. 

Rai said the meeting was extensive 

and fruitful without divulging 

the nature of the discussions. 

No decisions have yet been 

taken. 

"It was a productive meeting. 

The team management was very 

forthcoming with their recommendations 

and their thoughts on 

various issues," Rai told reporters 

after the meeting, which lasted 

more than two hours. 

"This was a path-breaking 

initiative. We feel we've found 

common ground and aligned our 

thoughts for the betterment of the 

game -- be it the policies under 

which the player remuneration 

and FTP will be worked upon," he 

added. 

Ahead of the second Test 

against Sri Lanka in Nagpur, 

Kohli had complained about the 

cramped schedule and lack of 

preparation time for the challenging 

tour of South Africa next 

month. 

Rai had also backed the skipper, 

saying that the players were 

right in their demand, and they 

needed rest. 

Commenting on the issue of 

FTP for 2019-23, which will be discussed 

at the ICC workshop on 

December 7 and 8, Rai said: "On 

FTP, we agree with them and will 

look into it so that they get enough 

rest." 

"All the inputs they have to 

give us were taken and we are going 

to factor those in. The FTP, we 

bounced it off them. 

"Presentations have been 

made, they are in agreement with 

the FTP so that they get enough 

rest etc. Number of (playing) days 

I can't tell you exactly because we 

haven't yet worked it out," he added. 

Rai further said that the principles 

of compensation package 

will also be structured gradually. 

"The principles on which 

compensation package has to be 

structured, that has been agreed 

to. It's only a question of numbers 

now. We will now match the 

revenue with compensation 

that each player receives," the former 

CAG said. 

Captain Mithali Raj says 

Virat inspires her 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: India 

Women's cricket team 

captain Mithali Raj 

on Thursday heaped 

praise on skipper Virat 

Kohli and said it is commendable 

how he stays 

focused on staying fit 

throughout the year. 

"It feels great that all 

of them are getting their 

due, and that people 

are finally recognising 

them," the 34-year-old 

said at the CNN-News18 

Indian of the Year 2017. 

"I've come so far 

playing cricket in an 

era where it was not really 

appreciated, and responding 

to trolls is not 

really worth my time. 

"There are so many 

people who inspire me 

every day, not one person. 

But if I do have to 

name someone, it's got to 

be Virat Kohli, for bringing 

the focus on fitness. 

Be it the men or women, 

everyone wants to be 

the best in international 

cricket," Raj added. 

Current India team can beat 

Agencies 

NAGPUR: Ahead of India's high-profile 

South Africa tour, former captain 

Kapil Dev on Thursday said the current 

side are at a level to beat any team. 

Following the ongoing series 

against Sri Lanka at home, India are 

slated to visit South Africa for three 

Tests, six One-Day Internationals (ODI) 

and three Twenty20 Internationals in 

January. 

"I think the team has reached a 

level where they can beat anyone," the 

anyone: Kapil Dev 

58-year-old said at the CNN-News18 Indian 

of the Year 2017. 

"Be it South Africa..or Australia, 

I think we have a captain who understands 

how the team functions," added 

the country's first World Cup-winning 

skipper. The legendary all-rounder emphasised 

on the fact that India are going 

to face a problem of plenty, with many 

young talents to be picked up from. 

"The only problem that the team is 

going to face is that whom they are going 

to pick in the playing XI, as we have 

a very strong bench," Dev said. 

India's Mirabai wins two golds in women's weightlifting worlds 

Agencies 

ANAHEIM: Indian athlete 

Chanu Saikhom Mirabai 

showed grit in winning 

the women's 48kg total and 

clean and jerk titles at the 

2017 world weightlifting 

championships on Wednesday.Mirabai, 

the 2017 Com 

monwealth Games champion, 

lifted her personal best 

in career totaling 194kg to 

beat Sukcharoen Thunya 

of Thailand to the second 

place by a slim margin of 

1kg. She was also the winner 

in clean and jerk of the 

event, reports Xinhua news 

agency. 

Two-time junior world 

champion Sukcharoen finished 

first in snatch with 

86kg but came up short in 

the clean and jerk. 

The Pan-American 

champion Ana Iris Segura 

Segura from Columbia was 

third in total. 

Nearly 400 athletes 

from about 70 countries 

and regions, including six 

reigning Olympic champions, 

will be competing 

through December 5 at 

the competition. This will 

be the first world championships 

featuring eight 

weight categories for both 

men and women. 

Duleep Trophy should have zonal teams: Bishan Bedi 

Agencies 

NEW DELHI: Former India 

cricket captain Bishan 

Singh Bedi on Wednesday 

urged the Board of Control 

for Cricket in India (BCCI) 

to bring back the older version 

of the Duleep Trophy, 

which he felt should have 

zonal teams. 

While the BCCI excluded 

the Duleep Trophy from 

the 2015-16 season, in the 

last two seasons, the teams 

were named as India Blue, 

India Green and India Red. 

The teams were composed 

of players from across the 

zones. 

Delivering a memorial 

lecture at the first Delhi and 

District Cricket Association 

(DDCA) annual conclave, 

Bedi also urged the young 

cricketers to prove their talent 

at the two domestic competitions 

before thinking 

about the franchise-based 

Indian Premier League (IPL) 

Twenty20 tournament. 

Bedi said that the cricket 

officials should have a relook 

at the way the Ranji 

Trophy is played. He minced 

no words in criticising the 

current state of the Duleep 

Trophy. 

"These two competitions 

are crucial to our cricket 

structure. It used to be a ladder 

-- you do well for state 

teams and then go on to represent 

the zonal teams. That 

tradition has been broken. 

"Ranji Trophy needs a 

fair and hard look. Duleep 

Trophy should not see the 

colours instead of zones," he 

said, referring to the names 

of the teams in the current 

mode. That has to be the 

criteria for international 

consideration. "I have no issue 

at all on those going for 

T20s and IPL matches. Assessment 

of a talent has to be 

on the figures of first-class 

cricket," he insisted. 

Bedi also "respected" 

current Indian skipper Virat 

Kohli's complaint of 

a cramped international 

cricket schedule.

The International News Weekly December 01, 2017 | Toronto 22


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