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Issue No : 29 

Email: editor@canadianparvasi.com Contact Number : 905-673-0600 January 19, 2018 | Pages 24 

Sikh woman appointed as Minister 

of Women Status in Ontario Govt 

Agencies 

Ontario: Harinder Malhi, 

the Indo-Canadian member of 

the Ontario provincial parliament 

and the mover of the 1984 

genocide motion in the House 

last April, has been given a cabinet 

berth in the Ontario cabinet, 

making her the first-ever Sikh 

cabinet minister in the Canadian 

province. 

The 38-year-old daughter 

of Canada’s first turbaned MP 

Gurbax Singh Malhi was sworn 

in as Minister of the Status of 

Women here on Thursday. 

The decision by Premier 

Kathleen Wynne to elevate 

Malhi seems to have been 

taken with an eye to Sikh votes 

as Ontario goes to the polls 

in June. 

Malhi represents the Punjabi-dominated 

‘riding’ (or constituency) 

of Brampton-Springdale 

in the Ontario assembly, 

whose members are called 

MPPs or members of provincial 

parliament. 

She joins another Indo-Canadian 

woman minister Dipika 

Damerla in the Ontario cabinet. 

Interestingly, her elevation 

to the cabinet comes when two 

senior Sikh MPPs Amrit Mangat 

and Vic Dhillon have been 

ignored. 

It is being speculated that 

because of her 1984 genocide 

motion, Malhi can help her Liberal 

Party retain Sikhs votes 

which may drift to the New 

Democratic Party (NDP) which 

has just elected Jagmeet Singh 

as its national leader. After her 

genocide resolution, many in 

the Sikh community view her 

as the champion of the cause in 

the community. 

Her party may also benefit 

from her father and former MP’s 

huge hold over Sikh voters. 

Interestingly, as a member 

of the Ontario assembly, Jagmeet 

Singh too had introduced a 

similar motion on the anti-Sikh 

riots, but his motion failed. He 

was also denied a visa to India 

in 2013. 

Man resembling Pakistani 

minor's rape-murder 

suspect arrested 

Federal NDP Leader 

Jagmeet Singh engaged 

Vetern Akali leader 

Manjit Singh Calcutta 

passes away 

Agencies 

Indo-Asian News Service 

Islamabad: The police 

has arrested a man 

resembling the prime 

suspect in the kidnapping, 

rape and murder of 

seven-year-old Zainab in 

Pakistan. 

The man was held 

from Lahore's Bhatta 

Chowk earlier this week 

and was handed over to 

the Kasur authorities for 

his DNA test, Geo News 

reported on Wednesday. 

Zainab was kidnapped 

on January 4 from near 

her aunt's house in Kasur 

city. Her body was discovered 

five days later from 

a garbage pile. The postmortem 

report revealed 

that the minor had been 

raped and murdered. The 

authorities said that the 

suspect's mobile phone 

location showed that he 

was in Kasur. 

Continued on page 06 

Agencies 

TORONTO: Federal New Democratic 

Party Leader Jagmeet Singh is engaged. 

Singh, 38, proposed to girlfriend 

Gurkiran Kaur, 27, at a private party 

just blocks away from the Ontario legislature 

were he served as a provincial 

legislator for six years. 

Singh surprised Kaur, an entrepreneur 

and fashion designer, with the proposal 

in front of several dozen friends 

and family members at a vegetarian 

restaurant where they had their first 

date. Singh was elected federal NDP 

leader last fall and had been guarded 

about his personal life, but social media 

posts in December made headlines after 

it was reported that he and Kaur were 

engaged. 

The couple shot down the rumours, 

saying it was instead a "rokha" — a traditional 

Punjabi ceremony held ahead 

of a wedding usually for family. 

Singh pulled back the curtain Tuesday 

night, inviting several members 

of the media, including The Canadian 

Press, to witness the surprise proposal. 

Amritsar: Veteran Akali 

leader and former chief secretary 

of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak 

Committee (SGPC) Manjit 

Singh Calcutta passed away here 

on Wednesday morning. He was 

79. He was not keeping well for 

the past some time and had been 

hospitalised since January 4. He 

is survived by wife Santokh Kaur, 

son Gurpreet Singh and two 

daughters, who reside in Canada. 

His cremation will take place 

here on Thursday noon. 

Calcutta entered public life 

in 1954-55 through All India Sikh 

Students Federation and became 

its national president. Later, he 

became secretary of Gurdwara 

Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Calcutta. 

In 1957, he became the general 

secretary, Shiromani Akali Dal 

(Eastern States). 

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The International News Weekly REGIONAL 

January 19, 2018 | Toronto 02 

PM Trudeau celebrates 

Pongal with Tamil and 

Thai community 

Wynne shuffles several senior 

cabinet posts ahead of election 

The Canadian Press 

TORONTO: Premier 

Kathleen Wynne shuffled 

several senior roles in 

her cabinet Wednesday as 

she prepares for a provincial 

election less than five 

months away. 

Deputy Premier and 

Advanced Education Minister 

Deb Matthews, Treasury 

Board President Liz 

Sandals and Economic 

Development Minister 

Brad Duguid have all said 

they're not running in the 

June election, and Wynne 

is filling those jobs with 

politicians who are up for 

re-election. 

"I want to make sure 

that we have that team 

that's going to carry us into 

the election and beyond," 

Wynne said Wednesday 

after making an unrelated 

announcement in Barrie, 

Ont. "The people who are 

no longer going to be in 

cabinet are people who 

have served this province 

very, very well." 

Mitzie Hunter moved 

from education minister 

to become minister of advanced 

education, Eleanor 

McMahon left her role as 

tourism, culture and sport 

minister to lead the treasury 

board, and Steven Del 

Duca was shuffled from 

transportation to economic 

development. 

Agencies 

Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 

on Wednesday wished the Tamil community on the 

occasion of Pongal. 

Taking to his Twitter handle Trudeau shared 

pictures celebrating the festival with the Tamil 

community of Canada and wishing luck on the day. 

The Canadian Prime Minister was also seen 

donning the traditional Tamilian attire, with a white 

Dhoti, Yellow silk shirt and an angavastram. 

"Iniya Thai Pongal Nalvazhthukkal! Had a great 

time celebrating Tamil Heritage Month and Thai 

Pongal in Scarborough this evening," Trudeau 

Tweeted. 

Indira Naidoo-Harris, 

who had been the status of 

women minister and minister 

responsible for early 

years and child care, will 

fill the job of education 

minister, while keeping 

her early years and child 

care responsibilities. 

Kathryn McGarry was 

moved from natural resources 

to become the new 

transportation minister. 

In addition, three backbenchers 

were promoted 

into cabinet. Nathalie Des 

Rosiers, who was elected 

in Ottawa-Vanier in a byelection 

in November 2016, 

became natural resources 

minister, Daiene Vernile, 

who represents Kitchener 

Centre, is now minister of 

tourism, culture and sport, 

and Harinder Malhi, of 

Brampton Springdale, became 

the new minister of 

the status of women. 

Many of the ministers 

involved in the shuffle represent 

ridings — largely in 

the key Greater Toronto 

Area battleground — that 

may see closely fought races 

in the election. 

As well, the new cabinet 

is close to gender parity, 

with 13 women and 16 

men. 

"I think it is important 

to have diversity — gender 

and regional and background 

diversity — at the 

cabinet table and so that 

has been part of the consideration 

as we go into this 

cabinet shuffle," Wynne 

said. 

"It has been wonderful 

to have the people who 

have served for the last 

number of years, but the 

reality is there's new experience 

and there's a new 

perspective that can come 

to the table." 

Wynne last shuffled 

her cabinet in July, with a 

few moves to replace Glen 

Murray, who left as environment 

minister to become 

executive director of 

the Pembina Institute. 

At that time, Chris Ballard 

became environment 

minister and Peter Milczyn 

was promoted to take 

over Ballard's former post 

as housing minister. 

Wynne has previously 

downplayed the effect of 

several senior cabinet 

members not running 

again, saying people sacrifice 

a lot to enter politics. 

Speaker Dave Levac, 

the Liberal representative 

for Brant, and Monte 

Kwinter, Ontario's oldest 

MPP, have also announced 

they won't seek re-election. 

Family of Toronto girl who claimed 

her hijab was cut apologizes 


TORONTO: A program 

that places police officers in 

some southern Ontario high 

schools made students feel 

safer and helped them build 

positive relationships with 

law enforcement, a study 

released Wednesday concluded. 

The family of an 11-yearold 

Toronto girl has reportedly 

apologized for the "pain 

and anger" they caused, 

after the girl's claim that a 

man cut her hijab turned out 

not to be true. 

"This has been a very 

painful experience for our 

family," said the statement, 

first reported by the Toronto 

Star. 

"We want to thank everyone 

who has shown us 

support at this difficult time. 

Again, we are deeply sorry 

for this and want to express 

our sincere apologies to every 

Canadian." 

Toronto police began 

investigating the alleged incident 

as a hate crime last 

Friday, after the girl said she 

was attacked twice on the 

way to school by a man who 

cut her hijab with scissors. 

The alleged incident 

made international headlines 

and drew swift public 

condemnation from the 

prime minister, Ontario's 

premier and Toronto's mayor. 

Recently, police announced 

that their investigation 

was complete and the 

alleged incident did not happen. 

They said no charges 

would be laid. 

Spokesman Mark Pugash 

said in an interview 

that police didn't know how 

the story escalated. 

He stressed that it's 

"very unusual'' for someone 

to make such false allegations, 

and he hopes it will 

not discourage others from 

coming forward. 

Canadian Muslim organizations 

expressed similar 

concerns, saying they feared 

others who experience hate 

crimes may be reluctant to 

report them out of worry 

that they will not be believed. 

In their statement 

Wednesday, the girl's family 

said when they heard her 

story, they "assumed it to be 

true, just like everyone else." 

They added, "We only 

went public because we 

were horrified that there 

was such a perpetrator who 

may try to harm someone 

else." 

Teen caught in gang 

shootout in Vancouver 


VANCOUVER : A 15-year-old who was struck by 

a bullet when his family's car passed a brazen gang 

shooting in Vancouver is being remembered as a polite, 

friendly boy who loved to swim. 

Mark Bottrill, head coach of the Hyack Swim Club, 

says Alfred Wong was 

the teenager who died 

Monday after getting 

caught in the crossfire 

Saturday evening. 

He says he was 

"shocked and devastated" 

when Wong's 

parents told him the 

bystander victim of the shooting was their son. 

Bottrill says Wong was part of a tight-knit non-competitive 

swimming group that met twice a week, and 

his death has left a "big piece" of the group missing. 

The Coquitlam Christ Church of China did not 

use Wong's name, but said the 15-year-old victim was 

a member of their congregation and their hearts ache 

with his family. Vancouver police Chief Const. Adam 

Palmer has said the shooting was related to gang activity 

and a 23-year-old man who was the target of the attack 

died in hospital.

The International News Weekly REGIONAL 

January 19, 2018 | Toronto 

03 

Trudeau not prepared to restart or 

scrap missing, murdered women inquiry 


OTTAWA: Prime Minister 

Justin Trudeau says 

his government is a long 

way from "starting over 

or scrapping" the federally 

funded inquiry into 

missing and murdered 

Indigenous women and 

girls. 

In a roundtable interview 

with The Canadian 

Press, Trudeau says the 

government is monitoring 

the work of the commission 

and its staff. 

Last week, the commission 

confirmed the 

departure of its second 

executive director but 

declined to comment further, 

citing personnel issues. 

It says the staffing 

change will not delay the 

work of the commission 

as it eyes a formal extension 

application for money 

and time to do its work. 

Trudeau's government 

has earmarked two years 

and $53.8 million for the 

study, aimed at examining 

root causes of violence 

toward Indigenous 

women and girls. 

A number of survivors, 

families and Indigenous 

leaders have called 

for the federal government 

to formally restart 

the process due to concerns 

over operational 

matters with the inquiry. 

Student guilty of sexual 

interference will be escorted 

off campus: University 

CALGARY : The University of Calgary 

says a student who has been 

convicted of sexual interference 

would be escorted off campus if he 

tried to return and a student sexual 

assault prevention club says it’s 

been working hard to respond to the 

emotional fallout of the controversy. 

Provost Dru Marshall said Connor 

Neurauter, 21, has been advised 

not to return to school this term or 

risk being made to leave by campus 

security. 

“There were a number of safety 

concerns that we took into account 

in our decision,” she said 

Friday.”We know that victims of 

sexual violence … may have been 

triggered by this incident and we 

were also worried about his safety, 

given some of the commentary on 

social media.” 

An online petition demanding 

Neurauter’s expulsion had more 

than 58,000 signatures by Friday afternoon, 

but the university said it 

did not have the grounds to take that 

step because his crime took place before 

he became a student. 

“We can’t be swayed necessarily 

by public opinion,” said Marshall. 

Survivors have been visiting the 

Consent Awareness and Sexual Education 

Club for support as the case 

stirs up their own difficult memories 

and emotions, said president 

Shelby Montgomery. 

“It’s been a really tough week for 

people and they’re really struggling 

at this point,” she said. “Particularly 

people who were dissatisfied with 

the provost’s response are feeling especially 

upset at the moment.” 

The club, which advocates for 

prevention directed at potential 

perpetrators as opposed to putting 

the onus on victims, has been referring 

people to a number of resources 

on and off campus who can provide 

professional help. 

Neurauter pleaded guilty to 

sexual interference with a minor in 

Kamloops, B.C., in November and 

was sentenced earlier this month to 

90 days in jail. 

The case stoked outrage because 

the judge allowed him to delay all 

but one day of his sentence to May 

4 — once Neurauter had completed 

his semester at the university. 

Kamloops This Week reported 

from the trial that Neurauter, a former 

junior hockey goaltender, obtained 

nude photos from a 13-yearold 

girl and threatened to show 

them to her family. The court heard 

Neurauter was 18 when he and the 

girl had a brief relationship, Kamloops 

This Week reported. 

Montgomery said she was angry, 

but not surprised, at what she 

believes is a lenient sentence. She 

said there have been many cases 

where a perpetrator’s athletic or academic 

prospects have factored too 

heavily into their punishment. 

“This is a product of a culture 

that we live in that doesn’t tend to 

respond adequately to acts of sexual 

violence,” she said. 

Deb Tomlinson, CEO of the Association 

of Alberta Sexual Assault 

Services, said reporting rates for 

sexual crimes are extremely low. 

“For those survivors who do 

choose to access the criminal justice 

system, the rates of conviction are 

equally low and sentencing is not 

what it should be,” she said. 

“Rape culture’s a deeply embedded 

set of attitudes and beliefs that 

influence us to minimize the crime 

of sexual assault, minimize how often 

it happens and minimize how 

very harmful it is to the people it 

happens to. 

“Until we address those myths 

and stereotypes of rape culture, 

things are not going to change.” 

In a statement Friday, 

Neurauter’s parents said he has 

done his best to be respectful of the 

legal system and others in the case. 

Chris and Susan Neurauter said 

they are proud of how their son has 

handled himself and disappointed in 

media coverage that they describe 

as distorted and sensationalistic. 

“This has been a nightmare for 

our family, one that none of us — but 

particularly our children — (is) … 

equipped to handle.” 

Nova Scotia kindles sudden explosion in craft distilleries 


HALIFAX : Nova Scotia has kindled 

an explosion of spirit makers 

— there are now 16 in Canada's 

second-smallest province — 

through attractive craft-distillery 

policies and collaborations with 

local farmers. The Nova Scotia Liquor 

Corporation says 12 of those 

distilleries have popped up in the 

last five years, serving rum, gin, 

vodka and other spirits. 

Pierre Guevremont, co-owner 

of Ironworks Distillery in Lunenburg, 

N.S., says Nova Scotia is a 

leader in Canada in terms of its 

policies for craft distilleries, along 

with B.C. and Saskatchewan. 

He says distilleries are offered 

favourable margins when selling 

their product in provincially 

run liquor stores, and are offered 

an additional markup reduction 

when 100 per cent of the agricultural 

products used in the alcohol 

are grown in Nova Scotia. 

Guevremont's boutique 

and micro distillery received a 

$159,748 repayable loan today 

from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities 

Agency to expand and 

modernize its production facility 

in the picturesque port town, 

home of the famed schooner Bluenose 

II. 

The Crown liquor corporation 

says people in the province are enjoying 

local spirits — sales were 

up 85.2 per cent during the second 

quarter of its fiscal year from July 

and October 2017, reeling in $1.6 

million.

The International News Weekly CANADA 


Halifax man jailed after forcing 

woman into prostitution 


HALIFAX: A Halifax man 

who pushed a young woman 

back into prostitution, 

and admitted threatening 

to chop her up and serve 

her at a dinner party, 

has been sentenced to 16 

months in jail. 

Leslie Gray advertised 

the woman's sexual services 

on a classifieds website, 

setting up to 20 appointments 

a day, and then took 

all the money she earned. 

"(She) was not given 

food to eat, so she resorted 

to stealing to feed 

herself," according to an 

agreed statement of facts 

presented at Gray's recent 

sentencing. "On a few occasions, 

she tried to keep 

some change, but Leslie 

Gray caught her, became 

angry and accused her of 

stealing his money." 

The young woman, 

who was 20 when she met 


VANCOUVER — The 

number of overdose 

deaths in Vancouver increased 

by 43 per cent last 

year compared with 2016. 

The city says there 

were 335 overdose deaths 

last year, compared with 

234 the year before. There 

was also a dramatic jump 

in response to overdose 

calls by firefighters and 

ambulance paramedics. 

In 2017, the city says there 

were 6,324 overdose calls 

compared with just over 

Gray on Canada Day 2015, 

contracted HIV while 

working for him, according 

to the agreed facts. 

She was a drug addict, 

and had already been a 

sex trade worker — she 

had previously been sold 

from one former pimp to 

another — when she met 

Gray through her thenboyfriend. 

The woman earned 

more than $10,000 between 

May and October 2016, and 

gave it all to Gray. 

She listened as Gray 

and his brother Andre discussed 

throwing her body 

into a river, "and that no 

4,700 for the year before. 

Mayor Gregor Robertson 

says the magnitude of 

deaths due to the opioid 

crisis is putting a strain 

on emergency responders, 

front line workers and 

community volunteers. 

He says a more positive 

trend emerged near 

the end of the year with 

a significant drop in the 

number of deaths. The latest 

figures from the British 

Columbia coroner's 

service show there were 

999 illicit drug overdose 

one would care that she 

was gone," according to the 

agreed facts. 

The brothers referenced 

the 2013 film "The 

Purge," about an annual 

event in which all illegal 

acts are decriminalized 

for 12 hours, and said she 

would be the first person 

they would kill. 

"Leslie Gray said that 

he would cut her up with 

a butcher knife, chop her 

into pieces, put her in his 

fridge and feed her to his 

dinner party," according to 

the agreed facts. 

"(She) was very afraid." 

In the fall of 2016, Gray 

deaths across the province 

between January and 

October last year. It says 

found brochures that Halifax 

police vice officers had 

given her about getting 

out of the sex trade. He 

laughed at her and told her 

she was useless — and that 

if she came forward she 

would be dead. 

Then, in late October 

2016, she went to a hospital 

after missing a methadone 

dose. When she got out, she 

went to police. 

Gray pleaded guilty to 

advertising sexual services, 

receiving benefit from 

prostitution and human 

trafficking, and uttering 

threats. 

Chris Hansen, spokeswoman 

for the Nova Scotia 

Public Prosecution Service, 

said Gray was sentenced 

on Jan. 11 to a total 

of 16 months in jail, as well 

as 24 months of probation. 

He will also be on the sex 

offender registry for 20 

years, and have a firearms 

prohibition of 10 years. 

Overdose deaths and medical 

responses reach new peak last year 

fentanyl was detected in 

about 83 per cent of the 

deaths. 

'I was shaking': Canadian describe Hawaii missile scare 

Toronto : Canadians 

who received emergency 

alerts on their cellphones 

warning of an impending 

missile strike that turned 

out to be a false alarm say 

they were terrified. 

“It was just like sudden 

panic and I realized I had no 

idea what to do in this kind 

of emergency,” Edmonton 

business owner Stephanie 

Patel, told CTV News Channel 

later Saturday. “So we 

just kind of stood there and 

I was shaking.” 

Patel, who was visiting 

the Pacific archipelago 

with her husband, says her 

first thought was to call her 

mother in Canada, so she 

picked up the phone. 

“I just started crying,” 

Patel said, still shaken from 

the ordeal. “My mom was 

praying for me, and I just 

said, ‘this is it -- there’s a 

missile coming.’” 

“Then somebody in the 

hallway said ‘I’ve confirmed 

reports it’s 11 minutes 

away,’” she added. 

Patel said that she truly 

thought she was going to die 

until finding out via Twitter 

about 20 minutes later that 

it was a false alarm. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever 

been that scared before,” 

she added. “We’re leaving 

today and I was just like, ‘I 

can’t wait to get home to Edmonton.’” 

The alert, which was 

sent just before 8:10 a.m., 

said: “BALLISTIC MISSILE 

THREAT INBOUND TO 

HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDI- 

ATE SHELTER. THIS IS 

NOT A DRILL.” It took just 

under 40 minutes before 

messages were sent out declaring 

the alert a “False 

Alarm.” 

Police find mother 

of baby allegedly 

abandoned in Toronto 


Toronto : Toronto police say they've found the 

mother of a newborn baby boy who was allegedly 

abandoned this morning outside a commercial building. 

Police say the mother is receiving medical care, 

but would not provide further details. 

Police said they received a call just before 11 a.m. 

from someone claiming to be a passerby who found 

the infant in a plaza in the city's west end. 

They say the baby was in a safe indoor area when 

officers arrived and was conscious and breathing. 

Paramedics say the baby was rushed to a hospital 

where he remains in critical condition. 

Const. David Hopkinson says the police investigation 

into the matter is ongoing. 

Ontario man charged with trying 

lure boy killed in Florida jail 


MARIANNA: Police say an 82-year-old Ontario man 

has been killed in a Florida jail, allegedly by his cellmate. 

Arthur Williams of Tillsonburg, Ont., was in 

custody after being charged for allegedly trying to 

lure a nine-year-old boy. 

Marianna, Fla., police chief Hayes Baggett says officers 

were called to the Jackson County Correctional 

Facility early Monday morning to investigate a reported 

homicide. 

Investigators say staff found Williams dead during 

a security check. 

Frederick Patterson, 21, of Brunswick, Ga., is facing 

a murder charge and is alleged to have killed Williams 

in what police called an "ambush style attack." 

Williams was charged in October 2017 with loitering 

and prowling, trespassing, aggravated stalking, 

making a threatening phone call and attempting to 

lure a child under the age of 12. 

Two bodies found in home west 

of Toronto 


OAKVILLE: Police say they're investigating after 

two bodies were found in a home west of Toronto. 

Halton Regional Police released few details of the 

scene they found at the home in Oakville, Ont. 

They have not released the names, ages or genders 

of the victims. Police say there is no risk to public 

safety at this time. 

Apartment building fire near 

Montreal leaves dozens homeless 


SAINT-HUBERT: A four-storey apartment building 

containing about two dozen units was heavily 

damaged by fire on Monday night in Saint-Hubert, 

Que., south of Montreal.No residents were injured in 

the blaze, but two firefighters and a police officer suffered 

minor injuries and were later discharged from 

hospital. Investigators say they believe the blaze began 

on the top floor of the building and was caused 

by hot cooking oil left on a stove. 

Local firefighters, who fought the fire in a wind 

chill in the minus 25 Celsius range, were assisted by 

colleagues from Montreal, Chambly and La Prairie. 

About 60 residents left homeless were being assisted 

by the Canadian Red Cross.

The International News Weekly CANADA 


05 

Wettlaufer killing inquiry: 17 groups 

can take part, commissioner rules 


TORONTO : A surviving 

victim, relatives of murdered 

seniors, and advocacy 

and health-care groups 

are among 17 groups and 

entities granted permission 

to take part in a 

public inquiry sparked 

by nurse Elizabeth Wettlaufer, 

who is serving life 

for killing eight elderly 

long-term-care residents 

in Ontario. In her decision 

released Thursday, 

Commissioner Eileen 

Gillese said survivor Beverly 

Bertram along with 

victims’ family members 

and close friends — organized 

into three separate 

groups — will have the 

right to call and question 

witnesses. 

“It is self-evident that 

each of these applicants 

has a substantial and direct 

interest in the subject 

matter of the inquiry,” 

Gillese wrote in her decision. 

“Each has suffered, 

and indeed continues to 

suffer, as a direct result of 

the offences.” 

Given their direct 

knowledge of the offences 

and surrounding circumstances, 

their participation 

will “further the conduct” 

of the hearings and 

contribute to their openness 

and fairness, Gillese 

said. To facilitate participation, 

the commissioner 

also recommended the 

government provide them 

financial aid. 

The Ontario government 

set up the Long- 

Term Care Homes Public 

Inquiry in August after 

Wettlaufer, 50, was convicted 

of eight counts of 

first-degree murder, four 

counts of attempted murder 

and two counts of 

aggravated assault. Wettlaufer 

had pleaded guilty 

in June and was jailed for 

life without parole eligibility 

for 25 years. 

The province, the regulatory 

body for nurses, 

and the facilities where 

Wettlaufer killed her victims 

all have a strong and 

direct interest in the proceedings 

and were also 

granted full standing, 

Gillese decided. Most of 

the killings took place at 

Caressant Care in Woodstock 

and one in Meadow 

Park in London. 

Also recognized were 

several organizations 

that work in the system 

of Ontario’s long-termcare 

homes. Among them 

are the Ontario Long 

Term Care Association, 

the largest group of longterm-care 

home providers 

in Canada; the non-profit 

advocacy group AdvantAge 

Ontario; and the Ontario 

Association of Residents 

Councils. 

Other organizations 

representing doctors, 

nurses, registered practical 

nurses and other 

clinicians who work in 

nursing homes will also 

be allowed to participate 

fully. 

“Although these organizations 

were not directly 

involved with Elizabeth 

Wettlaufer or the events 

in question, each offers 

a unique, representative 

perspective,” Gillese 

wrote. “Each has played, 

and continues to play, an 

active role in shaping the 

policies, procedures and 

practices.” Three of those 

entities should receive 

government funding to 

defray their legal costs, 

Gillese ruled. 

In all, 50 applicants 

applied for standing. Gillese 

rejected requests 

from seven individuals 

with friends or relatives 

in nursing homes, and another 

10 who have worked 

in the facilities. Those 

people are either not 

closely enough connected 

to what happened or will 

see their viewpoints reflected 

by those who were 

granted standing, Gillese 

said, adding they can still 

make written submissions. 

Wettlaufer injected 

her victims with insulin 

at three long-term care facilities 

and a private home 

between 2007 and 2016. She 

was fired twice during her 

career – the first time in 

1995 – but kept her licence 

as a registered nurse. 

She confessed to police to 

feeling a “red surge” that 

made her think God was 

directing her murderous 

actions. 

Bertram, who was 68 

at the time, has previously 

described the pain she 

felt after Wettlaufer gave 

her a massive overdose of 

insulin in a failed effort to 

kill her. “I knew I was dying,” 

Bertram said. “I was 

doubled over in pain.” 

Gillese, a justice of the 

Ontario Court of Appeal, 

is expected begin hearing 

from witnesses in June 

and report by July 31, 

2019. 

Toronto the only Canadian city on Amazon’s short list of HQ2 candidates 

Toronto : Toronto is 

the only Canadian city still 

in the running to host Amazon’s 

multibillion-dollar 

second headquarters. 

The e-commerce giant 

released Thursday its 

short list of 20 candidates 

for the facility — out of 

238 cities that applied last 

year — which is expected 

to house up to 50,000 employees. 

Bids poured in from Canadian 

cities from coast to 

coast as both major urban 

centres like Montreal and 

Halifax vied with smaller 

dark-horse competitors 

such as Sault Ste. Marie, 

Ont. In the end, however, 

Toronto was the only Canadian 

city to make the 

short list, where it stands 

alongside American metropolises 

such as Los 

Angeles, New York City, 

Philadelphia and Atlanta. 

“Getting from 238 to 20 

was very tough,” Amazon 

said in a tweet announcing 

the short list. “All the proposals 

showed tremendous 

enthusiasm and creativity.” 

Toronto Mayor John 

Tory celebrated the news 

that the city and surrounding 

municipalities were in 

contention. 

“Last year, I said I 

would put the Toronto Region 

up against any city 

in North America as the 

place for ambitious, forward-looking 

companies 

looking for a home,” he 

said in a statement touting 

Toronto’s talent, quality 

of life and vibrancy. “I’m 

glad that Amazon agrees 

that Toronto is worth considering.” 

In the bid it submitted 

to Amazon last October, 

Toronto was quick to point 

out that it met all the criteria 

the company specified 

in its search for a second 

corporate home. 

The company’s wish 

list included proximity to 

a metropolitan area with 

more than a million people; 

ability to attract top 

technical talent, a location 

45 minutes from an international 

airport, direct 

access to mass transit, and 

the capacity to expand the 

headquarters to more than 

740,000 square metres over 

the next decade. 

Toronto also touted 

diversity as one of its 

strengths alongside its 

lower business costs relative 

to similarly sized 

American competitors, 

expanding infrastructure 

and low crime rates. 

The city’s pitch also 

took what could be construed 

as a dig at U.S. President 

Donald Trump and 

his administrations antiimmigration 

policies. 

“We build doors, not 

walls,” reads the cover 

letter from the group coordinating 

the bid from 

Toronto and several surrounding 

municipalities. 

“Those doors open to highly 

skilled economic immigrants 

and international 

students who can easily become 

permanent residents 

and citizens.” 

Ontario’s Economic 

Development Minister 

Steven Del Duca said Toronto’s 

placement on the 

Amazon short list is “outstanding 

news” for the entire 

province. 

“I think it’s a very clear 

indication that it’s a jurisdiction 

that’s attracting 

top talent and top talent 

(is) being trained in this 

area.” 

Asked if economic incentives 

were back on the 

table to land Amazon, Del 

Duca said the province 

will continue to push its 

skilled work force as the 

top selling point. 

“The focus of our efforts 

has been talking 

about the kind of talent 

that we have at the table,” 

he said. “I know that from 

the very beginning we’ve 

stressed that that’s the 

focus of what makes Ontario 

and the Greater Toronto 

and Hamilton Area 

particularly appealing for 

organizations and companies 

like Amazon. I believe 

that’s what we’ll continue 

to stress.” 

The effort to bring 

the new headquarters to 

Canada was spearheaded 

by none other than Prime 

Minister Justin Trudeau, 

who penned a letter to Amazon 

founder Jeff Bezos as 

the bids were flooding in. 

The letter, which did 

not single out any particular 

city, outlined commercial, 

cultural and social 

reasons why Amazon 

should call Canada home 

to the new offices, dubbed 

HQ2. 

“Canadian cities are 

progressive, confident, and 

natural homes for forwardthinking 

global leaders,” 

Trudeau wrote in his letter. 

“They are consistently 

ranked as the best places to 

live, work and play in the 

world.” 

Canada’s business advantages 

include costs 

among the lowest in the 

G7, universal health care 

that lowers the cost to employers, 

stable banking 

systems, and a deep pool of 

highly educated prospective 

workers from both at 

home and abroad, according 

to Trudeau. 

The letter also touched 

on increased government 

investment in skills development, 

culturally diverse, 

walkable cities and 

streamlined immigration 

processes.

The International News Weekly World 


Ex-CIA officer suspected of 

helping China arrested 

UK media: Police probe 3rd 

Spacey sex assault allegation 

Agencies 

IANS 

Washington: Prime Minister 

Justin Trudeau faced 

difficult questions from the 

crowd at a town hall in the 

Halifax area Tuesday, including 

from a member of the 

navy who has ALS and from 

the mother of a boy with severe 

autism. 

A former CIA officer 

suspected by investigators 

of helping China dismantle 

Washington's spying operations 

and identify informants 

has been arrested, the Justice 

Department said. 

Jerry Chun Shing Lee, a 

naturalised US citizen, was 

held after arriving at New 

York's JFK airport on Monday. 

Lee worked for the CIA 

between 1994 and 2007. He 

later left for Hong Kong. 

When Lee returned to 

the US in 2012, FBI agents 

searched his hotel rooms 

in Hawaii and Virginia and 

found finding two small 

books with secret records, 

the New York Times reported 

on Tuesday. 

Lee, 53, was charged in 

a federal court in northern 

Virginia with the "unlawful 

retention of national defence 

information and faces a maximum 

penalty of 10 years in 

prison, if convicted", the Justice 


He appeared in Brooklyn 

court on Tuesday and was 

being held there. He does 

not have a lawyer, an official 

said. It was unclear why Lee 

decided to risk arrest by coming 

to the US this month, according 

to the report. 

In the books the Federal 

Bureau of Investigation 

agents found, Lee had written 

down details about meetings 

between Central Intelligence 

Agency informants and undercover 

agents, as well as 

their real names and phone 

numbers, the court papers 

stated. 

Prosecutors said that material 

in the books reflected 

the same information contained 

in classified cables 

that Lee had written while at 

the agency. 

Lee, also known as Zhen 

Cheng Li, began his CIA career 

as a case officer, maintained 

a top secret clearance 

and signed non-disclosure 

agreements. He has made no 

public comments on the issue. 

Officials expressed concern 

that Lee's case and at 

least one other represent a 

troubling pattern of Chinese 

intelligence targeting former 

agency officials, an easier 

task than trying to recruit 

current CIA operatives. 

In June, a former CIA officer 

was charged with providing 

classified information 

to China and making false 

statements. Prosecutors said 

that the former officer, Kevin 

Patrick Mallory, 60, of Leesburg, 

Virginia, had top-secret 

documents and incriminating 

messages on a communications 

device he brought 

back from Shanghai. 

In March, prosecutors 

announced the arrest of a 

longtime State Department 

employee, Candace Marie 

Claiborne, accused of lying to 

investigators about her contacts 

with Chinese officials. 

According to the criminal 

complaint against Claiborne, 

who pleaded not guilty, Chinese 

agents wired cash into 

her bank account and lavished 

her with thousands of 

dollars in gifts. 

US calls for new relationship 

with Pakistan 


Islamabad : The US on 

Tuesday called for a new 

bilateral relationship with 

Pakistan at the conclusion 

of a top US diplomat's 

two-day visit here. Deputy 

Assistant Secretary for 

South and Central Asia Alice 

Wells highlighted the 

need to step up measures 

against terrorism in order 

for the US-Pakistan relationship 

to develop, Efe 

news agency reported. 

"Ambassador Wells underlined 

that the US seeks 

to move toward a new relationship 

with Pakistan, 

based on our mutual interest 

in realizing a stable and 

prosperous region," according 

to the US Embassy 

in Islamabad. 

Wells, who did not address 

the press during her 

stay in Pakistan, headed 

the first high-level visit 

by the US to Pakistan, following 

the former's decision 

earlier this month to 

suspend security aid to the 

country. 

During her visit, she 

urged the Pakistani government 

to act against the 

Haqqani network, a faction 

of the Afghan Taliban 

that Washington and Kabul 

claim have taken refuge 

in Pakistan along with 

other terror groups. 

The US diplomat underlined 

that US's South 

Asia strategy represents 

"an opportunity to work together" 

in bringing peace 

to Afghanistan, defeating 

the Islamic State and eliminating 

terrorist groups 

that threaten both the US 

and Pakistan. 

As part of this strategy, 

unveiled in August by US 

President Donald Trump, 

the US announced an increase 

of 3,000 troops in 

Afghanistan in September. 

On January 4, Washington 

suspended its coalition 

support funds program 

towards Pakistan, 

amounting up to $900 million, 

until Islamabad took 

decisive steps in the fight 

against terrorism. 

The announcement 

came after Trump posted 

a message on Twitter on 

January 1, in which he accused 

Islamabad of "lies 

and deceit" and "giving 

safe haven to the terrorists" 

after receiving $33 billion 

from the US over the 

last 15 years. 

On Monday, Wells met 

Pakistan's Foreign Secretary 

Tehmina Janjua, 

who expressed to need for 

carrying forward the relations 

with the US in an environment 

of trust and mutual 

respect, according to a 

statement by the Pakistan 

Foreign Ministry. 

The US and Afghanistan 

for years have accused 

Pakistan of providing 

refuge to the Taliban's 

Haqqani network, which 

stages attacks on US and 

Afghan troops, a claim that 

Islamabad denies. 

LONDON: Britain's media say police in London are 

investigating a third allegation of sexual assault 

against two-time Academy Award winning actor Kevin 

Spacey. 

The Metropolitan Police force said Thursday it 

had received an allegation "that the man sexually assaulted 

a man (Victim 3) in 2005 in Westminster." 

The force didn't identify Spacey as the alleged perpetrator, 

as authorities in Britain don't name suspects 

until they are charged. But it said the same man was 

accused of an assault in 2005 and one in 2008, both in 

the south London borough of Lambeth. The suspect in 

those cases has been widely named in British media 

as Spacey. 

The 58-year old Spacey was artistic director of 

London's Old Vic Theatre, located in Lambeth, between 

2004 and 2015. 

Indian Army chief's comments 

will hurt peace: China 


Beijing: China on Monday expressed anger over Indian 

Army chief Bipin Rawat's remarks, saying such "unconstructive" 

comments would hurt peace and tranquility 

in the border area. Gen Rawat last week said India 

needed to shift its military focus from its western border 

with Pakistan to its northern border with China. He also 

said that if China was strong, India was not weak either. 

"During the past one year, relations between China 

and India witnessed some twists and turns," Foreign 

Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said. 

Lu pointed out that in September, the leaders of India 

and China reached some important consensus on properly 

handling the differences and promote China-India 

relations. "Recently, two sides enhanced dialogue on 

consultation and bilateral relations have shown sound 

momentum of improvement and development. 

"Under such background, the unconstructive remarks 

by the Indian senior officials not only go against 

the consensus reached by the two heads of state but not 

conform to the efforts made by the two sides to improve 

and develop bilateral relations. "It cannot help to preserve 

tranquillity and peace at the border areas." 

Man resembling Pakistani 

minor's rape-murder 

suspect arrested 

Continued from page 01 

The brutal murder of Zainab has incited anger 

among residents as it is the 12th such case to occur within 

a two kilometre radius in the city in the last year. Kasur 

made international headlines in 2015 when a gang of 

paedophiles running a child sex ring was busted. 

The gang allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted 

at least 280 children in the area, had blackmailed the 

families of the victims since 2009 and even sold video 

clips and images of the assault. 

A Supreme Court bench on Tuesday expressed its 

displeasure over the lack of progress by the Punjab government 

and police on the Zainab case. 

According to the authorities, around 1,100 suspects 

have been questioned in the case. 

"If the issue isn't solved then it'll be a failure of the 

government and police," the Chief Justice observed during 

the proceedings, adding that the same mistakes are 

made in every case after which suspects are exonerated 

due to shoddy investigations. 

The Chief Justice also said that the accused in the 

Zainab case was a serial killer.

The International News Weekly World 


07 

Trump's 'Fake News Awards' lead 

with CNN, NYT, Washington Post 


Washington: Prime Minister 

Justin Trudeau faced difficult 

questions from the crowd at a 

town hall in the Halifax area Tuesday, 

including from a member of 

the navy who has ALS and from 

the mother of a boy with severe 

autism. 

A former CIA officer suspected 

by investigators of helping China 

dismantle Washington's spying operations 

and identify informants 

has been arrested, the Justice Department 

said. 

Jerry Chun Shing Lee, a naturalised 

US citizen, was held after 

arriving at New York's JFK airport 

on Monday. Lee worked for 

the CIA between 1994 and 2007. He 

later left for Hong Kong. 

When Lee returned to the US 

in 2012, FBI agents searched his 

hotel rooms in Hawaii and Virginia 

and found finding two small 

books with secret records, the New 

York Times reported on Tuesday. 

Lee, 53, was charged in a federal 

court in northern Virginia with 

the "unlawful retention of national 

defence information and faces a 

maximum penalty of 10 years in 

prison, if convicted", the Justice 


He appeared in Brooklyn court 

on Tuesday and was being held 

there. He does not have a lawyer, 

an official said. 

It was unclear why Lee decided 

to risk arrest by coming to the US 

this month, according to the report. 

In the books the Federal Bureau 

of Investigation agents found, 

Lee had written down details 

about meetings between Central 

Intelligence Agency informants 

and undercover agents, as well as 

their real names and phone numbers, 

the court papers stated. 

Prosecutors said that material 

in the books reflected the same information 

contained in classified 

cables that Lee had written while 

at the agency. 

Lee, also known as Zhen Cheng 

Li, began his CIA career as a case 

officer, maintained a top secret 

clearance and signed non-disclosure 

agreements. 

He has made no public comments 

on the issue. Officials expressed 

concern that Lee's case 

and at least one other represent a 

troubling pattern of Chinese intelligence 

targeting former agency 

officials, an easier task than trying 

to recruit current CIA operatives. 

In June, a former CIA officer 

was charged with providing 

classified information to China 

and making false statements. 

Prosecutors said that the former 

officer, Kevin Patrick Mallory, 

60, of Leesburg, Virginia, had topsecret 

documents and incriminating 

messages on a communications 

device he brought back from 

Shanghai. 

In March, prosecutors 

announced the arrest of a longtime 

State Department employee, Candace 

Marie Claiborne, accused of 

lying to investigators about her 

contacts with Chinese officials. 

According to the criminal 

complaint against Claiborne, who 

pleaded not guilty, Chinese agents 

wired cash into her bank account 

and lavished her with thousands 

of dollars in gifts. 

Netanyahu visits Chabad House, 

announces 'Living Memorial' plans 


Mumbai : Israeli Prime 

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 

on Thursday visited 

the Chabad House here 

along with Moshe Holtzberg, 

who as a two-yearold 

was orphaned in the 

carnage there during the 

2008 terror attack, and announced 

plans to make it 

a "Living Memorial". 

Sporting the 'Kippah,', 

the trademark Jewish 

small brimless cloth cap, 

Netanyahu was warmly 

welcomed by the present 

Rabbi Israel Kozlovsky, 

his wife Chaya Kozlovsky, 

co-directors of Chabad 

House, and other officials, 

in the afternoon where he 

came to pay homage to 

the victims of the terror 

strikes. 

The bespectacled 

Moshe, now 11, also sporting 

the 'Kippah' and a 

dark suit, had an emotional 

'reunion' with the 

Israel Prime Minister, as 

his Indian saviour nanny 

Sandra Samuel and grandparents 

flanked them in a 

small room in the Chabad 

House, in Nariman House, 

Colaba. 

Natanyahu warmly 

held onto both Moshe and 

Samuel, flanked on his left 

and right side respectively, 

as they posed for the 

paparazzi. 

Moshe's paternal 

grandparents - Nachman 

Holtzberg and Frieda 

Holtzberg, and maternal 

grandparents - Shimon 

Rosenberg and and Yehudit 

Rosenberg, besides 

his uncle Moshe Holtzberg 

smiled as the young 

Moshe read out a brief 

welcome speech for the 

PM. 

At the solemn event, 

Netanyahu was seen 

constantly smiling, and 

speaking to little Moshe, 

most of times with his 

arms around the boy's 

shoulder. He also spoke 

freely and listened attentively 

to Moshe's nanny 

Samuel, standing beside 

him, and he put his arms 

around her shoulder too. 

This is the first-ever 

visit by any high ranking 

Israeli dignitary to 

Chabad House, which reopened 

after repairs in 

2014, and Netanyahu and 

Moshe announced plans 

to convert a part of the 

Nariman House (where 

Chabad House is situated) 

into "Living Memorial". 

The proposed Living 

Memorial is likely 

to include rooms on the 

fifth floor of the building, 

where Moshe and 

his parents used to live, 

and a small terrace garden, 

while the fourth floor 

would be converted into a 

museum. 

Prior to his arrival 

in Chabad House, Netanyahu 

paid homage to the 

memorial of 26/11 victims 

in the Hotel Taj Mahal 

Palace, which was one 

of the targeted sites, and 

where the visiting delegation 

is staying. Maharashtra 

Chief Minister Devendra 

Fadnavis was present 

alongside. 

The Chabad House was 

one of the targeted sites 

of the brutal 26/11, 2008 

Mumbai terror strikes in 

which the two-year-old 

Moshe's young parents - 

Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg 

and Rivka were gunned 

down. 

Seven others, mostly 

Israeli nationals, were 

also killed as Pakistani 

gunmen opened indiscriminate 

fire and laid 

siege to the Chabad House 

for more than 40 hours. 

Later, Samuel and the 

baby Moshe were taken 

to Israel where they have 

been living since the past 

10 years, before coming to 

India for their first visit to 

Chabad House since the 

tragedy this year. 

The 2008 terror attack 

lasted for 60 hours and 

left a total of 166 dead in 

different parts of south 

Mumbai, besides nine 

Pakistani terrorists who 

were killed and one - 

Ajmal Kasab - was captured 

alive, tried and 

hanged. Announced in 

July last year, when Indian 

Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi had visited 

Israel, Netanyahu's visit 

to the Chabad House came 

on the final day of his 

six-day visit to India. He 

returns to Israel on early 

Friday morning.

The International News Weekly EDIT 

08 


The 

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 

The worst excuses ever given 

When police arrested a man for drug possession, 

he claimed that the illegal substances were not his. 

This would have been fine except for the fact that they 

were found up his bottom. 

It was a risky defence and judges in the US state 

of Pennsylvania speedily rejected it in a court case reported 

on January 2, making it the first 2018 entry for 

this column's file of Dumb Criminal Cases. 

It reminded me of a case in Hong Kong some 

years ago when a shoplifter claimed ignorance of 

stolen food in his underwear. "When you have a tin 

of fish in your underpants, you know about it," the 

magistrate said. 

Criminals really can be like children when it 

comes to using excuses that are doomed to fail. For 

example, all parents are familiar with the reasons 

kids come up with to explain why they needn't go to 

school any more. BOY: "I have decided to become a pirate 

instead." GIRL: "Silly Daddy, mermaids don't go 

to school!" 

Then there are the kids' excuses for getting out of 

bed at night. ME: "Hey! It's 10 o'clock! What are you doing 

up?" CHILD: "I'm not up. This is a dream." 

But of course it's in lawsuits that bad defence 

strategies have life-changing effects. This columnist, 

who used to be a court reporter, recalls the case of a 

Hong Kong prostitute who told judges that she only 

stole a man's watch because she felt greatly insulted 

after he offered her money for the hour they'd spent in 

bed. Great excuse -- for any profession except the one 

she had chosen. 

Yet there are cases where a ridiculous defence 

works. In Ohio in 2002, a woman explained to a court 

that the murder she had committed should be disregarded 

since The Matrix movie showed that we were 

all living in a computer simulation anyway. The jury 

found her not guilty -- not because they agreed with 

what she said, but because confusing fiction with real 

life was evidence of a "severe mental defect". 

If that's true, then half of humanity has a severe 

mental defect. This columnist's wife used to live in 

London's Baker Street, the address of fictional detective 

Sherlock Holmes, and there was no end of visitors 

"to see where he lived". 

In TV commercials in Japan, a cartoon Sailor 

Moon girl tells you to eat a certain brand of potato 

soup like she does. Apparently this works. At no point 

do consumers think: Wait. How can a 2D cartoon 

character eat potato soup? 

A Sailor Moon girl also appears in a TV ad in 

Malaysia, dreaming about buying a Ford Fusion motor 

car. (I thought she could fly?) Clearly Malaysian 

adults think: "Hmm, whose advice should I take on automobile 

handling and performance? A non-existent 

cartoon character might be an ideal choice." 

But going back to the subject of excuses which 

unexpectedly work, this writer once had an Indian 

colleague whose reason for missing a meeting was so 

cheeky that it left our boss speechless. "Sorry I missed 

yesterday's meeting," the colleague said. "I went out 

for lunch and forgot to come back." 

This Indian city moves to end 

age-old menstruation taboo 


Shimla : It's a taboo no 

one really talks about in remote 

villages of Himachal 

Pradesh -- but could soon 

end. 

Women in many remote 

parts of the mountain state 

are virtually ex-communicated 

when they are menstruating. 

They are forced 

to sleep outside the house, 

in cattle-like sheds known 

as menstruation sheds. The 

reason: A woman is considered 

"unclean" when she's 

bleeding or in a post-natal 

state. 

The so-called "unclean" 

women, during their periods 

and after childbirth, 

are barred from touching 

cattle or men and they are 

even denied access to toilets, 

walking miles from 

their villages daily to take 

a bath. 

Taking up cudgels to 

fight this social stigma, the 

administration in Kullu 

district has set up a task 

force comprising reproductive 

health workers to 

conduct sensitisation programmes 

at the grassroots. 

"We have identified 92 

out of the 204 panchayats 

where the problem is still 

prevalent," Kullu Deputy 

Commissioner Yunus 

Khan, the brain behind the 

A few years ago, my brother from 

New York phoned me on the morning 

of January the first -- but in America 

it was still December 31. 

I told my kids: "Your uncle is calling 

from last year." Their eyes widened. 

I explained: "It sounds weird, 

but it's all to do with time zones." 

When the phone rang an hour 

later, I answered it and told the kids: 

"It's your great-grandma. She's phoning 

from 1880." They nodded sagely 

and muttered: "Time zones." 

I like to mess with children's 

heads. It is called "parenting" and 

doctors recommend it. 

This memory was triggered by 

the latest news. A flight from New 

Zealand took off in 2018 and landed 

in Hawaii in 2017, US news outlets 

reported a few days ago. The aircraft 

started in a city where January 

1, 2018, had started but finished its 

journey in a place where it was still 

December 31, 2017. 

That made headlines in the West, 

but it's actually pretty unimpressive 

to travelers in Asia, who encounter 

ridiculous time zone issues all the 

launch of a 'Naari Samman' 

or 'Respect Women' campaign, 

told IANS. 

He said the taboo is of 

greater prevalence in one 

particular caste. 

The one-year campaign 

was launched on January 

1 and aims reach out to all 

the 92 "problem" villages 

within six months. Fanning 

out for the campaign 

is a backbreaking task in 

the mountains. 

Many of the villages in 

the district are located in 

the interiors where "anganwadi" 

workers and Accredited 

Social Health Activists 

(ASHA) have to trudge 

miles across rugged, cold 

and inhospitable terrain of 

the trans-Himalayas. 

Officials involved in the 

campaign say the staff has 

to traverse distances ranging 

from 10 to 25 km on foot, 

or sometimes on horseback, 

from the road-head to 

reach some of the villages. 

Women's rights activist 

Subhash Mendhapurkar 

blamed the government for 

the persisting taboo that is 

still prevailing all over the 

hilly and inaccessible areas 

of the country. 

He favours changing 

young minds. 

"If the school-level curriculum 

includes menstruation, 

why is the educational 

level of the students 

so low," asked Mendhapurkar, 

Director of Shimlabased 

NGO Social Uplift 

Through Rural Action 

(SUTRA), while speaking 

to IANS. The problem, he 

said, is that the teachers 

are not appropriately educating 

the students. Moreover, 

sanitary napkins are 

not provided in the toilets 

of rural schools. 

Mendhapurkar, who 

wrote a book "Bitya Badi 

ho Gayi Hai' ("The Daughter 

has Grown Up"), said 

the tradition of keeping the 

women in isolation during 

their periods also prevails 

in the interiors of Kangra, 

Sirmaur and Kinnaur districts. 

According to him, there 

are some rural communities 

that do so because of 

religious reasons. Others 

do so because they live 

in tiny helmets where it's 

normally practiced and 

those areas are almost out 

of bounds owing to tough 

topography. 

"After educating the 

womenfolk that, like defecation, 

menstruation is 

also a natural process and 

that menstrual blood is not 

poison, the discrimination 

has been somehow ended 

in many areas of Solan, 

Sirmaur, Bilaspur and Una 

districts," Mendhapurkar 

said. "No legislation can 

change the mindset, it's 

only education that can 

bring an end to this social 

practice and help change 

attitudes," he added. 

The practice of isolating 

women during their 

monthly bleed is now illegal 

in Nepal -- where it was 

once widely prevalent. 

Under the law, there is 

provision of a three-month 

jail sentence or a Rs 3,000 

fine, or both, for anyone 

forcing a woman to follow 

the custom. 

Flights which arrive before they take off 

These days China spans five time 

zones but the leaders are so bossy 

they make everything run on Beijing 

time. If you live in the west of China, 

you can spring out of bed at the crack 

of dawn - which is 10.30 am. Sunset 

is just before midnight. This is astonishingly 

inconvenient for literally 

hundreds of millions of people, and 

Beijing rulers are deeply sympathetic 

ha ha ha ha yeah right. 

Time zones are measured in how 

many hours they differ from GMT, 

which stands for Greenwich Mean 

Time, the part of the UK which apparently 

first emerged from the Big 

Bang. But India and Sri Lanka insist 

on being 30 minutes out of step 

with everyone else and Nepal goes in 

15-minute time zone increments. 

But get this. One summer I actually 

went to Greenwich and decided 

to reset my watch. I kid you not: The 

time in Greenwich was GMT plus 

one hour! That made no sense at all 

-- like everything else on this planet. 

So I suppose it fits in just fine. 

w Happy New Year to everyone, 

including the Siri in my phone, who 

When you fly from Asia to North 

America you often land before you 

take off. The Nagoya to Hawaii flight 

lands 12 hours before it left, which 

I love, because you can legitimately 

eat six meals that day. 

My advice is to talk to your 

smartphone assistant as you land in 

Hawaii. 

Me: "So, Siri, what year is it?" 

Siri: "2017." Me: "But earlier you said 

it was 2018." Siri: "I don't like you; 

please send me back to the factory." 

There used to be a famous road 

tunnel in Zunyi town in China's 

Guizhou province which sent you 

back in time. You drove into the tunnel 

at 4 pm. As you emerged, 400 metres 

later, the clock on your phone 

would say 3 pm. 

This was very useful when 

Guizhou residents were late for 

something -- they just zipped through 

the Zunyi tunnel and were suddenly 

59 minutes early. 

Technicians said this was caused 

by a malfunctioning transmission 

tower but I found explanations of 

wormholes and time warps more be- 

time. 

lievable. 

is still in a sulk. 

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 

advertisement Publised in this newspaper. The Canadian Parvasi is in the business of selling space and the clains made by the advertisement are not tested/confirmed by an independent source.

The International News Weekly INTERVIEW/OPED 


09 

India and Israel: Personal chemistry 

shores up strategic ties 

The visit of Israeli 

Prime Minister Benjamin 

Netanyahu to India (January 

14-19) commemorates 

the 25th anniversary of 

the opening of an Indian 

embassy in Tel Aviv in 

1992 and will further consolidate 

an important and 

strategically distinctive 

bilateral relationship for 

both nations. It has had a 

chequered past since the 

post-World War II birth 

of both countries but is 

poised for a pragmatic future 

trajectory based on 

shared interests. 

With a population below 

nine million and a GDP 

of $350 billion, Israel is relatively 

small compared to 

the Indian behemoth with 

a population of 1.25 billion 

and a GDP of $2.5 trillion. 

Yet Israel occupies a very 

special niche in India's security 

framework and has 

been a supplier of critical 

military technology. This 

was illustrated during the 

1999 Kargil War, when 

precision-guided ordnance 

was obtained from Tel 

Aviv. 

That India is among 

the world's largest importers 

of military inventory 

and that Israel is a major 

arms exporter also provides 

a natural complementarity 

to the bilateral 

relationship. Over the last 

two decades, the quantum 

of military-related imports 

from Israel has steadily 

increased. It is estimated 

that India, which buys almost 

$1 billion worth annually, 

accounts for over 

40 percent of Israeli defence 

exports. 

The Netanyahu visit 

reciprocates that of Prime 

Minister Narendra Modi 

in July 2017, the first by 

an Indian Prime Minister 

to Israel. The Modi-Netanyahu 

personal chemistry 

was on display during that 

visit which was reciprocated 

as Modi personally 

received the Israeli leader 

at the airport when he arrived 

Sunday afternoon. 

The two leaders share 

many characteristics, including 

a visible political 

resolve in relation to Islamic 

radicalism and terrorism. 

Netanyahu will 

also get the Gujarat-special 

status, a detour to Ahmedabad, 

which Modi accords 

to certain leaders. 

During the July visit, 

Modi said, "Israel and India 

live in complex geographies. 

We are aware of strategic 

threats to regional 

peace and stability. Prime 

Minister Netanyahu and 

I agreed to do much more 

together to protect our 

strategic interests." The 

joint statement also added: 

"There can be no justification 

of acts of terror on any 

grounds whatsoever." 

While the bilateral 

with Israel has been described 

as a "strategic 

partnership", India's relations 

with Israel cannot be 

divorced from the larger 

West Asian geopolitical 

canvas where Palestine is 

a major factor. 

The Jewish quest for a 

permanent homeland goes 

back a long way. Mahatma 

Gandhi had opined in 1931: 

"I can understand the longing 

of a Jew to return to 

Palestine, and he can do so 

if he can without the help 

of bayonets, whether his 

own or those of Britain... 

in perfect friendliness 

with the Arabs." This sentiment 

shapes the Indian 

approach to the complex 

and tangled Palestine issue. 

India has traditionally 

supported the Palestine 

cause on the international 

stage and has sought to 

maintain a fine balance 

regarding its bilateral 

with Israel in the competing 

regional politics 

of West Asia. It appeared 

that the Modi dispensation 

government had 

taken a bold decision to 

remove the hyphenation 

between Israel and Palestine, 

but it would be misleading 

to infer that the 

government has uncritically 

cast its weight totally 

with Israel and the US. 

The recent vote at the 

UN over the Trump declaration 

about Jerusalem 

saw Delhi voting with 

the larger global consensus 

that censured the US 

over its announcement. 

Netanyahu, on the eve of 

his India visit, said this 

vote would not materially 

affect the bilateral. 

India and Israel are keen 

to expand the current 

bandwidth of the trade 

and economic relations 

to move beyond military 

sales and include energy, 

cyber security and innovation 

in desert/arid land 

agriculture, among other 

sectors. 

The last leg of the Netanyahu 

visit will take 

him to Mumbai. The enormity 

of the November 

2008 terror attack that 

targeted Chabad House 

will be recalled, though 

justice for the innocent 

victims -- Indian, Israeli 

and other nationalities, 

remains elusive. 

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The International News Weekly india 


Rana Gurjit's resignation accepted, says 

services to the party will remain available 

Agencies 

CHANDIGARH:Former 

Punjab Power Minister 

Rana Gurjit Singh on 

Thursday welcomed the 

decision regarding acceptance 

of his resignation 

from the Cabinet. 

Reacting to the party's 

high command's nod for 

acceptance of resignation, 

Rana Gurjit Singh said he 

was a disciplined soldier 

of the party and accepted 

the decision with all humility. 

Terming the Chief 

Minister Captain Amarinder 

Singh as a fatherly 

figure for him, he said 

his services to the party 

would remain available as 

its loyal member. 

Though he had submitted 

resignation as the 

EX-Cabinet minister a 

few days ago, but the final 

decision about its acceptance 

was pending as 

the CM had said that it 

would be taken after discussion 

with the party 

high copmmand. The confirmation 

finally came after 

Amarinder's meeting 

with Congress president 

Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on 

Thursday. The Congress 

government in Punjab and 

its party unit were facing 

heat over alleged involvement 

of Rana Gurjit in the 

sand mining row. 

Maharashtra police 

trooper opens fire in 

public, killing three; held 


CKD influentials behind my 

father’s death: Anmol Chadha 

Pune : Three persons were killed when a trooper with 

Maharashtra's Special Reserve Police Force posted on 

duty in Daund here allegedly opened indiscriminate fire 

in two public places here on Tuesday, police said. He was 

arrested later. 

According to the Pune (Rural) Control, the SRPF 

jawan, identified as Sanjay Shinde, opened fire with 

his service revolver in Borawke Nagar and Morinagar 

Chowk areas. 

He first fired at public in Morinagar, killing two persons 

and barely 15 minutes later, he opened fire in Borawke 

Nagar nearby where he felled one. 

Later this evening, based on his mobile phone location, 

he was caught and arrested from adjoining Ahmednagar 

district where he had fled shortly after the incident. 

A police team rushed to the firing spots, while others 

sealed off all exits from Pune, and scanned CCTVs, railway 

stations, bus depots and other places to trace him, 

said Deputy Superintendent of Police Ganesh More. 

The deceased were identified as Anil Jadhav, Gopal 

Shinde and Prashant Pawar. There were no other casualties 

as panicked people ran helter-skelter to escape 

the bullets. The trooper managed to give the police a slip 

and sped away on his two-wheeler to Ahmednagar from 

where he was planning to board a train. The motive behind 

his action, tentatively believed to be some financial 

disputes, is being probed, police said. 

Police have seized Shinde's service revolver, his motorcycle, 

mobile phones and other things after the arrest, 

said a senior police officer. 

In a precautionary move, police have deployed additional 

forces outside the trooper's home as a wave of 

anger swept among the people of Daund. 

Gursheesh Singh 

Chandigarh: Chief 

Khalsa Diwan’s chief 

Charanjit Singh Chadha’s 

grandson Harpreet Singh 

Chadha aka Anmol Chadha 

had no choice but to reveal 

his father’s suicide in Chandigarh 

Press Club, Sector 27 

on Tuesday, revealing that 

not just the family but the 

needy grieved the most after 

his father’s death. 

Talking to the The Canadian 

Parvasi, Anmol 

Chadha explained that his 

father’s charitable organization 

use to provide free 

food, medicine, bandages in 

hospitals including PGI and 

gurdawars across State and 

after his death not just the 

family but those who were 

needy has suffered the most. 

Highlighting the company’s 

future Anmol said, “my 

current priority is to support 

those needy families 

that my father was serving, 

many details of sewa I came 

to know after his death. I 

am too young and may lack 

at many places to serve the 

humanity and his noble 

causes. But I will do my 

best to live up to my father’s 

wishes and vision.” 

However, Chadha’a 

grandson also mentioned 

that his father believed only 

in Sewa and bringing peace 

and happiness to all who 

he became in touch with. 

“My father’s last words 

in his suicide note were 

‘The world is a place to do 

sewa.’ And that’s what our 

priority is today.” Anmol 

revealed. 

“Just because of few 

power hungry, blackmailers 

and bully people, who 

only thought of their selfish 

motives and profits and 

cared about nothing the 

well being of others,” he 

said. 

Adding, “but those power 

hungry blackmailers are 

not satisfied yet with the 

death of an innocent and 

noble human being, rather 

now they are creating problems 

for me to support these 

families. They are still attacking 

and stooped so low 

that they don’t even care if 

humanity is suffering, they 

are just after positions and 

political gains.They are 

even creating hurdles to 

serve the needy and tried 

to stop the medicines and 

sewa supply at PGI.” 

Talking about the infamous 

video of his grandfather 

that went viral Anmol 

said that, “I have handed 

over all the proofs to the SIT 

and have full faith on the 

Punjab Govt, and believe 

that they will do complete 

and impartial investigation 

and the truth will come out. 

Some Chief Khalsa Diwan’s 

CKD influentials 

with political and business 

background are behind the 

death of my father as they 

use to blackmail him extract 

money out of him, Anmol 

told the The Canadian 

Parvasi here. 

Thanking the mediaperson 

here, Anmol said 

that, “the reason behind the 

press conference was held 

on such a short period is 

because the supply of medicines 

was halted after my 

father’s death, which later I 

have to resume. 

“Today I request media 

members to convey our 

message to all that we will 

not sit back and let few people 

take away the peace of 

our family, but we will fight 

for the right,” he added. 

“As per my father’s suicide 

note i will stand by my 

dad’s words and will stand 

right next to my grandfather 

whenever he needs 

me,” Anmol concluded. 

Vetern Akali leader Manjit Singh Calcutta passes away 

Continued from page 01 

He did his LLB from University College of 

Law, Calcutta, in 1966 and moved to Delhi in 

1968. In 1980, he got elected as general secretary 

of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee 

and later became its president. Then, he 

was elected as national general secretary, SAD, 

under the presidentship of JS Talwandi, Sant 

Harchand Singh Longowal, Surjit Singh Barnala 

and Parkash Singh Badal. 

In his decade-long stint at the SGPC, he 

occupied top posts such as its honorary secretary 

between 1988 and 2004. He was elected as 

an MLA from Amritsar South constituency 

in 1997 and became the minister for higher 

education. Later, he lost the 2002 polls that he 

fought under the banner of the SAD (Mann) 

group. He was the first chief secretary of the 

SGPC in 2003 during the tenure of Gurcharan 

Singh Tohra. He was removed from the post on 

the directions of the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial 

Commission, which fixed the maximum age 

limit of 60 for the post. However, his short stint 

as chief secretary was also a distinct one as he 

used to draw only Re 1 per month and that too 

he would put back in the ‘Guru ki Golak’. He 

did not enjoy perks like residential accommodation, 

free phone, etc. 

In his political career, he had been instrumental 

in raising Sikh issues. He created 

uproar after he showed solidarity with Gurcharan 

Singh Tohra, the influential and controversial 

leader who headed the SGPC for a 

record 27 years.

The International News Weekly india 


11 

Twist in Haryana rape-murder; 

body of suspect found 


New DelhI : The Congress on 

Thursday described Haryana as a 

"crime hub" and demanded the resignation 

of Chief Minister Manohar 

Lal Khattar. "Haryana has become 

a crime hub under Khattar," 

Congress leader Randeep Singh 

Surjewala told the media here. 

He said the truth was that organised 

and unorganised crime 

ruled the state as the "Khattar 

government is sleeping". "We reiterate 

that if Khattar has failed to 

stop sexual predators as also crime 

against the daughters of Haryana, 

then he has no right to continue 

even for a day." 

The Congress leader's remarks 

come in the wake of six rapes, including 

gangrapes of two minor 

Dalit girls, that have put the Haryana 

government in the dock. Slamming 

the Bharatiya Janata Party 

(BJP) government, Surjewala said: 

"The truth is that the state which 

vows to save daughters witnesses 

most number of rapes and gang 

rapes." 

Surjewala was referring to the 

Chandigarh: Israeli 

Prime Minister Prime Benjamin 

Netanyahu will arrive 

here on Sunday to give a fillip 

to 25 years of diplomatic ties 

between the two countries 

during a six-day trip that will 

also take him to Ahmedabad 

for a roadshow with "friend" 

Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi. 

The Haryana Police has 

been left baffled after recovering 

the body of a 19-year-old 

youth who was until now the 

prime suspect in the rape and 

murder of a 15-year-old Dalit 

girl in Kurukshetra district. 

Police said on Wednesday 

that the body of Gulshan, who 

was considered the prime 

suspect in the killing of the 

Class 10 student, was found 

on Tuesday night from the 

Bhakra irrigation canal near 

Jyotisar in Kurukshetra district, 

about 110 km from here. 

The body was in a decomposed 

state. 

Gulshan's name was mentioned 

in the FIR as an accused. 

Family members of the 

deceased youth on Wednesday 

started a protest outside 

the office of the Kurukshetra 

Superintendent of Police 

Abhishek Garg demanding 

justice.Garg confirmed the recovery 

of Gulshan's body. "We 

are investigating the murders," 

he said. Police sources 

said they could not rule out 

"honour killing" as a reason 

behind the twin murders. 

The Haryana Police, 

based on the complaint of the 

victim girl's family, had listed 

Gulshan, a Class 12 student, 

as the prime suspect in the 

kidnapping, rape and murder 

of the girl. Some people were 

even detained for questioning 

and raids were conducted 

to nab Gulshan. The girl had 

gone for her tuition class on 

January 9 and went missing. 

Her half-naked body was 

'educate daughter, save daughter' 

campaign launched by the Modi 

government from Haryana. The 

Congress leader said Khattar, also 

the Home Minister, cannot "shuck 

his responsibility". "And we hold 

him and his government accountable 

for the spate of rape cases." 

Surjewala alleged that crime 

against women had increased in 

the state since Khattar assumed 

charge. "In 2016, Haryana reported 

1,090 murders, 1,189 rapes, 191 

gang rapes and 4,019 kidnapping 

and abduction incidents. This is 

three murders, three rapes and 11 

kidnappings and abductions on an 

average every day. 

"In fact Haryana has got the 

highest average of gang-rape cases 

found near a canal in Jind district 

on Saturday. Police and 

forensic officials said the girl 

was brutally raped and inflicted 

wounds on her private 

parts and internal organs. 

She was murdered by her tormentors. 

Haryana has been rocked 

with five incidents of rape 

and gang-rape in the past four 

days. These were reported 

from Kurukshetra/Jind, Panipat, 

Pinjore and Faridabad 

(two). In three of these, the 

victims were brutally murdered. 

Haryana a crime hub, Khattar must resign: Congress 

in the country now." On the recent 

cases of gangrapes, Surjewala said: 

"We saw how a woman was gangraped, 

her body mutilated and 

murdered in Rohtak. The latest 

incident of a gangrape is of a Dalit 

girl and mutilation of her body is a 

stack reminder of the failure of the 

BJP government." 

Hitting out at the Prime Minister 

and the Central government, 

he said: "Modi and his government 

cannot shirk responsibility as the 

Haryana-Delhi border is porous 

and criminals travel across the two 

states freely." 

"If Khattar and the BJP government 

cannot control the spate 

of gangrapes and rapes, he should 

quit office immediately," he added. 

Modi, Sushma mislead nation 

on Doklam: Congress 

Agni-V successfully 

test fired 


New Delhi : The Congress on Thursday 

accused Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma 

Swaraj of misleading the nation 

over Chinese troops occupying Doklam 

plateau, saying Indian security and 

strategic interests have been compromised. 

"The satellite imagery and media 

reports suggest that China has established 

military establishments in 

Doklam near Indian borders which indicates 

that India's security and strategic 

interests have been compromised," 

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh 

Surhewala told the media here. 

Surjewala said: "It seems that the 

government was snoozing while the 

Chinese troops occupied the Doklam 

plateau as suggested by satellite images. 

And it seems China is planning 

Doklam 2.0 like retreat near the Indian 

borders." 

Accusing Modi of mastering the art 

of rhetoric, the Congress spokesperson 

said: "The Prime Minister has mastered 

the art of electoral rhetoric as he 

has failed miserably to ensure the protection 

of our borders." 

Showing the satellite images, Surjewala 

said China had constructed a 

two-storey watch tower, seven helipads 

and several military establishments in 

Doklam. 

"What is the government doing as 

China has occupied the entire Doklam 

plateau? Is the government, Prime 

Minister, Defence Minister, aware 

about these constructions?" 

Slamming Sushma Swaraj, Surjewala 

said the Ministry of External 

Affairs issued a statement then, saying 

the troops of both the countries were 

doing expeditious disengagement. 

"Even Sushma Swarajji said (this) 

in Parliament. And when we asked 

about the details, she said the troops of 

both countries were returning to their 

posts. At that point, there was no reason 

to question her statement," he said. 

He said after the tensions at 

Doklam were resolved, the Chinese 

Foreign Ministry had said that while it 

had withdrawn the troops, it shall keep 

on patrolling the area. 

The Congress leader demanded 

to know how the issue of tri-junction 

at Doklam would be decided in future 

when the China had occupied the entire 

plateau. 

Surjewala said: "In October, Modiji 

announced at a public rally that 

Doklam issue as a victory. However, 

the satellite imagery released in media 

reports suggest that Chinese troops 

have constructed military establishments. 

Indian and Chinese troops were 

engaged in a face-off at Doklam for over 

three months last year. 


New Delhi : India's indigenously-developed nuclearcapable 

Agni-V inter-continental ballistic missile, which 

can reach targets as far as Beijing, was successfully test 

fired on Thursday. 

The test-firing was done off the Odisha coast. 

The Agni-V is the most advanced version of the Agni 

series, part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development 

Programme that started in the 1960s. 

With this missile, India joined the US, Russia, the 

UK, France and China, which boast ICBM capabilities, 

when it tested its first Agni-V missile in 2012.

ENTERTAINMENT 

The International News Weekly January 19, 2018 | Toronto 12 

SC stays ban on 'Padmaavat' 

release, film industry euphoric 


New Delhi: The Supreme 

Court on Thursday paved 

the way for an all-India 

release for Sanjay Leela 

Bhansali's "Padmaavat" on 

January 25 by staying the 

operation of orders banning 

the release of the film by 

the Gujarat, Rajasthan and 

Haryana governments. The 

film industry hailed the decision. 

Staying the "notifications 

and orders" banning 

the release of the controversial 

film by the three states, 

Chief Justice Dipak Misra, 

Justice A.M. Khanwilklar 

and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud 

said the remaining 

states will not ban the 

screening of the film. 

Referring to its earlier 

judgement, the court said 

it was incumbent upon the 

state governments to ensure 

law and order. 

The court order came on 

a plea by "Padmaavat" producers 

-- Bhansali Productions 

and Viacom18 Motion 

Pictures -- challenging the 

ban on the screening of the 

film by the three states that 

didn't want it to be screened 

over alleged distortion of 

historical facts. 

Rajput outfit Shree Rajput 

Karni Sena, which is 

at the forefront of the protests 

against the movie, has 

chalked out its next strategy. 

A leader of the group 

told IANS that they it reach 

out to cinema hall owners 

across the country asking 

them to not show the movie 

or face consequences. 

Film fraternity members 

Shyam Benegal, Manish 

Mundra, Madhur Bhandarkar 

and Ashoke Pandit 

were among those who lauded 

the Supreme Court decision. 

Benegal told IANS that 

it's "quite clearly a victory 

of freedom of expression" 

while filmmaker Pandit 

said: "It's a very big success 

for the film industry." 

"This judgement has 

broken the arrogance of the 

political parties who banned 

the film thinking they can 

do it," Pandit told IANS. 

Producer Mundra tweeted: 

"Banning the film 'Padmaavat' 

even after CBFC 

certification was a cowardly 

act by the states. Were trying 

to do vote bank politics 

and or shying away from 

their responsibilities of 

managing law and order." 

Trade expert Komal 

Nahta said the judgement 

was "a tight slap on the faces 

of the states which banned 

the film". "Red letter day ... 

the film industry and lovers 

of cinema all over." 

Actor Ayushmann 

Khurrana hailed it as the 

"best news of the day which 

restores faith in our democracy". 

Filmmaker Bhandarkar 

welcomed the decision 

for the movie, which 

features Deepika Padukone, 

Ranveer Singh and Shahid 

Kapoor. 

Author Chetan Bhagat 

said it's a "great decision" 

as "every story can't be told 

how bullies want it". 

Filmmaker Rohit Shetty 

hoped the movie gets a 

"great release". 

"Padmaavat", which was 

earlier scheduled to release 

as "Padmavati" on December 

1, is hitting the screens 

after facing multiple hurdles. 

Bhansali was first assaulted 

on the film's set in 

Jaipur last year, after which 

the film's set in Kolhapur 

was vandalised. 

Rajput outfits and some 

groups backed by the BJP 

have been actively protesting 

its release, contending 

that it plays with Rajput 

pride - something that the 

makers have repeatedly denied. 

Bhansali has said the 

film is inspired by 16th century 

poet Malik Muhammad 

Jayasi's poem "Padmavat" 

and that it's a film Indians 

will be proud of. 

Shilpa Shinde most talked about 

'Bigg Boss 11' contestant on Twitter 


Mumbai : Actress Shilpa Shinde, 

who won the reality show "Bigg Boss 

11", was the most talked about contestant 

of the season on Twitter. 

Twitter recorded over 41 million 

tweets in the course of the show (October 

1, 2017 - January 15, 2018). This 

makes ‘#BiggBoss11' the most talked 

about season of the popular reality 

show to date, read a statement issued 

on behalf of the micro-blogging site. 

Over the weekend, tweets related 

to "Bigg Boss 11" recorded over 5.7 million 

conversations (January 13-14). 

Mentions of Shilpa peaked on 

Twitter with over 3 million tweets in 

Domestic battery charge against 

'Glee' actress dismissed 

Agencies 

relation as she was crowned the winner. 

She also emerged as the most 

talked about contestant of the show, 

followed by actress Hina Khan and 

producer Vikas Gupta consecutively. 

Actor Priyank Sharma and computer 

CHESAPEAKE: A domestic battery 

charge against an actress on the 

former hit show "Glee" has been dismissed 

in West Virginia. 

WCHS-TV reports that the case 

against 30-year-old Naya Rivera ended 

after her husband decided not to 

seek prosecution. 

An order was filed Friday in 

Kanawha County Magistrate Court. 

The Kanawha County Sheriff's 

Office said Rivera was arrested Nov. 

25 for domestic battery in Chesapeake 

after Ryan Keith Dorsey told a 

deputy that Rivera struck him in the 

head and face. 

Agency spokesman Sgt. Brian 

Humphreys said the two were arguing 

over their child and Dorsey 

didn't require medical attention. 

Rivera was released after being 

arraigned. 

She is known for playing Santana 

Lopez on "Glee." Dorsey is 

also an actor and has appeared 

on shows including 

"Pitch" and 

"Nashville." 

engineer Luv Tyagi made it to the top 

five. 

The official Twitter handle for 

the show garnered 5.3 million tweets 

across the season. 

The most re-tweeted post from 

the show garnered over 4,200 tweets 

and was the one where Shilpa walked 

down memory lane watching a video 

of her "Bigg Boss 11" journey as a 

build-up to the finale. 

After over a three month-long battle 

inside the house, four participants 

made it to the grand finale - Shilpa, 

Hina, Puneesh Sharma and Vikas. 

Host Salman Khan named Shilpa as 

the winner of the show, aired on Colors 

channel, on Sunday night. 

Ricky Martin gets 

married to Jwan Yosef 

Agencies 

NEW YORK: Hugh Wilson, an award-winning director 

and writer with a knack for broad and witty comedy whose 

credits ranged from the raucous film "Police Academy" to 

the popular sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati," has died at age 

74. 

Wilson died Jan. 14 at his home in Charlottesville, Virginia. 

His wife, Charters Smith Wilson, told The Associated 

Press on Wednesday that he had been battling lung cancer 

and emphysema. 

Wilson was a Miami, Florida native and University of 

Florida graduate who worked for years and advertising and 

copywriting before he joined Mary Tyler Moore Productions 

in the mid-1970s. He was soon writing scripts for "The 

Bob Newhart Show" and "The Tony Randall Show" and in 

1978 created "WKRP," which drew upon Wilson's time at a 

radio station in Atlanta. He later created such short-lived 

series as "Easy Street" and "Frank's Place," which starred 

"WKRP" actor Tim Reid and brought Wilson an Emmy for 

writing. 

He was also successful in movies. In 1984, he helped 

launch a franchise by directing and co-writing "Police Academy," 

the satire starring Steve Gutenberg that became a box 

office smash despite being dismissed by Roger Ebert as "the 

absolute pits." Wilson didn't direct any of the inevitable "Police 

Academy" sequels, but instead worked on "Guarding 

Tess" and the hit comedy "The First Wives Club." His most 

recent film was the baseball story "Mickey," a 2004 release 

directed by Wilson and written by John Grisham.

Sports The International News Weekly January 19, 2018 | Toronto 

13 

Kohli grabs top ICC awards 


Dubai: India skipper Virat Kohli 

on Thursday swept the International 

Cricket Council (ICC) annual 

awards winning the prestigious Sir 

Garfield Sobers Trophy for being 

the World Cricketer of the Year 2017 

as also being named ICC ODI Cricketer 

of the Year 2017 and the captain 

of both ICC Test and ODI teams. 

On the other hand, Kohli's Australian 

counterpart Steve Smith 

bagged the honour of being the Test 

Cricketer of the Year. The 28-yearold 

Smith posted six centuries in 

just 11 Tests in 2017; three on Australia's 

tour of India and three in 

the recently-completed 4-0 Ashes 

triumph over England. 

Moments after the awards were 

announced, an elated Kohli said 

winning the Sir Garfield Sobers 

Trophy felt more special after his 

teammate Ravichandran Ashwin 

bagged it last year. 

It is the second time Kohli has 

been named as the ODI Cricketer 

of the Year after bagging the same 

honour in 2012 when he was 24 years 

old. "It means a lot to win the Sir 

Garfield Sobers Trophy for becoming 

the ICC Cricketer of the Year 

2017 and also the ICC ODI Player of 

the Year," the Delhi batsman told 

ICC's website. 

"I won that back in 2012 also but 

it's the first time winning the Garfield 

Sobers Trophy, and it's a huge 

honour for me. It's probably the 

biggest of all in world cricket and 

two Indians getting it back-to-back 

makes it more special. 

"Last time it was Ash (Ravichandran 

Ashwin) and this time I'm 

getting it, so I'm really really honoured 

and I'd like to thank the ICC 

for recognising all the hard work 

that we all put in for our respective 

sides and I want to congratulate all 

the other winners also," he added. 

The award, which was decided 

for performance based on the period 

between September 21, 2016 to December 

31, 2017, the Indian skipper 

scored 2,203 Test runs at an average 

of 77.80. Kohli also scored eight centuries 

in the time period in the longest 

format, including five double 

hundreds. 

In ODIs, Kohli hammered 1,818 

ODI runs at an average of 82.63 including 

seven centuries, and 299 

T20I runs at a strike rate of 153. With 

Kohli as skipper, India went on to 

register nine consecutive series win 

in the longest format. 

Apart from Kohli, who was 

named as the captain for the ODI 

Team of the year, Rohit Sharma, 

who smashed a double ton against 

Sri Lanka in December, becoming 

the only batsman in the world to 

have three double-centuries in the 

format, was also included in the 

squad. The only other Indian apart 

from the two, who made it to the 

team was seamer Jasprit Bumrah, 

who took 56 wickets in 31 matches 

at an average of 22.73 during 2017. 

Three Indians made it to the 

2017 Test team of the year -- Ravichandran 

Ashwin, Cheteshwar Pujara 

and Kohli, who was also named 

as the captain for the side. 

Rising leg-spinner Yuzvendra 

Chahal was also recognised 

for his tremendous perfomance in 

T20 cricket and his 6-wicket haul 

against England in Bengaluru was 

recognised as the ICC T20I Performance 

of the Year. 

Among others, Pakistan quick 

Hasan Ali was named the Emerging 

Cricketer of the Year after he helped 

Pakistan win the ICC Champions 

Trophy in June, while Afghanistan 

spinner Rashid Khan was named 

Associate Cricketer of the Year. 

English women cricketer Anya 

Shrubsole bagged the ICC Spirit of 

Cricket award while South African 

umpire Marais Erasmus was 

awarded the David Shepherd Trophy 

for ICC Umpire of the Year. 

Pakistan's ICC Champions Trophy 

2017 win over arch-rivals India 

in June was adjudged the ICC Fans 

Moment of the Year. The Sarfraz 

Ahmed-led Men-in-Green thrashed 

India by 180 runs to bag the title at 

The Oval in London. 

India in Blind 

Cricket World 

Cup final 


Dubai: Dominant India continued their winning 

streak as they defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets 

to enter the final of the Blind Cricket World Cup at the 

MCC Ground in here on Wednesday. 

Defending champions India will take on Pakistan 

on January 20 at Sharjah. 

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Bangladesh 

were bowled out for 256 in 38.5 overs. India's strong 

bowling department restricted them to a modest score 

as Durga Rao took three wickets in three overs by giving 

away only 20 runs. Deepak Mallik and Prakash 

bagged two wickets each. 

It was a poor start for Bangladesh as they lost two 

early wickets but a resilient unbeaten 108 by Abdul 

Mallik helped Bangladesh to reach a respectable total. 

Chasing the target, Man of the Match Ganeshbhai 

Muhudkar's century steered India home comfortably. 

His breezy knock of 112 came in just 69 balls. Another 

star player Deepak Mallik was retired out for 53 

of 43 balls. While Naresh made a handy 40 runs in 18 

balls. 

India have remained unbeaten throughout this 

tournament and are considered the favourites to retain 

their title. 

Modi, Sushma mislead nation 

on Doklam: Congress 


Tauranga (NZ) : India 

got off to a winning start 

in the double-leg Four Nations 

Invitational Hockey 

Tournament, notching a 

comfortable 6-0 win against 

Japan at the Blake Park 

here on Wednesday. 

Rupinder Pal Singh 

(7th minute), Vivek Sagar 

Prasad (12th, 28th), Dilpreet 

Singh (35th, 45th) and 

Harmanpreet Singh (41st) 

scored in India's win. 

The team got off to a 

dominant start, controlling 

the ball rather swiftly, 

passing around neatly and 

quickly to penetrate the 

Japanese circle. 

India won their first 

penalty corner of the game 

in the seventh minute and 

it was young gun Harmanpreet 

Singh who stepped up 

to drag flick. 

His attempt though was 

blocked by the Japanese defender 

on the line, but since 

the obstruction came off his 

body, India were awarded a 

penalty stroke. 

Experienced drag 

flicker Rupinder Pal Singh 

broke no sweat in converting 

a stunning goal to fetch 

India a 1-0 early lead. India's 

second goal came in 

the 12th minute when debutant 

Vivek Sagar Prasad 

was quick to pick up a rebound 

and fiercely strike 

the ball past the Japanese 

goal keeper earning India 

a 2-0 lead. The second quarter 

saw India defend their 

lead as they were unrelenting 

in creating pressure on 

Japan, pressing them high 

up constantly, rarely giving 

them an opportunity to 

enter India's defence. 

Meanwhile, Vivek 

Prasad found another excellent 

opportunity in the 

28th minute to score, as the 

Indian attackers broke into 

the Japanese defence. 

Vivek was swift to receive 

an assist in the circle 

and put the ball in the goal 

within no time. The teams 

went into the half time 

break with India having a 

comfortable 3-0 lead. 

In the 35th minute, a 

brilliant run-in from Mandeep 

Singh, who found Dilpreet 

in the circle, created 

a goal scoring opportunity 

for India. 

Though Dilpreet's first 

attempt was padded away 

by the Japan keeper, he 

was quick to pick it up 

again and put into the nets 

fetching India's fourth goal. 

Though Japan earned 

their first penalty corner of 

the match in the 40th minute, 

they couldn't find success 

however, in the following 

minute a foot foul by a 

Japanese defender won India 

their second PC which 

was brilliantly executed by 

Harmanpreet Singh as India 

led 5-0. 

India were in complete 

control and were playing 

hockey that had Japan constantly 

on the back foot. 

An outstanding bit of 

play in the circle, opened 

up a chance for Dilpreet 

Singh to shoot from the top 

of the circle. 

His attempt was right 

on spot taking India's lead 

to a formidable 6-0 in the 

45th minute. The final 

quarter saw India giving 

no room for Japan to score 

a consolation goal. 

India will take on Belgium 

in their second match 

on Thursday.

The International News Weekly January 19, 2018 | Toronto 14

The International News Weekly January 19, 2018 | Toronto 

15

The International News Weekly January 19, 2018 | Toronto 16 

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